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After several rounds of action, the 2022-23 regular league season is headed into its final week, with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.
The most recent victory, a 27-24 victory over the Denver Broncos, made Kansas City's hot run four games long. The club is currently 13-3 and tops the AFC. Kansas City must defeat the Raiders to conclude the regular season as the No. 1 seed and get a rest in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Raiders, by contrast, are now ineligible to play in the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Las Vegas outfit 37-34 in overtime in Week 17. The franchise is now third in the AFC West with a record of 6-10.
Despite the team's poor campaign, the Raiders' secondary is enjoying some bright moments. The defense has only twice this season given away 300 or more passing yards. Their best showing during that stretch was when they held the New England Patriots to just 112 yards in the passing game.
It's no surprise that Patrick Mahomes is essential to the Chiefs' development. They are fortunate that the quarterback is enjoying a fantastic campaign with a strong chance of winning the MVP prize.
Patrick Mahomes’ stats and fantasy prediction for Week 18
No matter what ranking you look at, Patrick Mahomes is probably among the leaders in every facet of the game during this campaign. He ranks second in PFF passing grades, fourth in yards per attempt, fifth in adjusted completion percentage and fifth in fantasy points per dropback.
Mahomes is expected to punish the Las Vegas Raiders in the air this weekend at the Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders have been 19th in EPA per dropback, 28th in the explosive passing percentage given away and 24th in passing yards per game since Week 12.
Throughout his career, Mahomes has averaged 315.3 yards per game versus the Raiders, so he hasn't had much trouble playing in this game. Mahomes has only hit this number on four occasions this season. Still, to secure a bye and cement the MVP award, he must make an impression by slicing through one of the league's weakest defensive units.
Expect Patrick Mahomes to further establish his MVP credentials later this week, as the Raiders have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to signal-callers this campaign.
The NFL confirmed last Sunday that the Kansas City Chiefs' regular-season game versus the Las Vegas Raiders would take place on Saturday, January 7, at 3:30 p.m. Arrowhead Time.
