The Kansas City Chiefs will have Patrick Mahomes under center for Sunday’s AFC Championship game – not that there has been much doubt this week.

Despite suffering a high ankle sprain in last weekend's 27-20 Divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes was able to practice three times this week and declared "I'm ready to go” on Wednesday.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that Mahomes would play in the AFC title game for the fifth year in a row on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals.

"He looks good," Reid said on Friday. "I mean, he's moving around good. He's going to go out and play."

After Mahomes said on Wednesday that he would be fit, the quarterback began fielding questions about how much a sprained ankle might change his effectiveness or style of play.

"I feel like I can still do a lot of things," he said. "We'll see as we get closer and closer, and we'll see during the game.

"You can't fully do exactly what you're going to be doing in those moments in the game [in practice], but all I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over."

Mahomes returned to last Saturday’s game to help lead the Chiefs over the Jaguars, but he was clearly limping and was unable to pull off some of his signature improvisation due to his injury.

After a week of rehabilitation, neither Mahomes nor Reid are willing to say publicly if the 2018 NFL MVP will be able to run the entire playbook.

"We have enough in the game plan where you can kind of pick and choose where you want to go with it," he said. "You have a variety of things that you can go to. Obviously, you don't use all the plays in the game plan, but they're available and so if you have to go a certain direction, you can go that direction with the calls."

Meanwhile, the Bengals are not expecting Mahomes to be any less potent.

Cincinnati pass rusher Sam Hubbard said: "We're preparing for Patrick Mahomes like he's 100 per cent, because I'm sure he's going to be playing 100 per cent. That's all you can do."

Patrick Mahomes acknowledges he will be relying on "adrenaline" to carry him through an AFC Championship Game in which the Kansas City Chiefs will be thirsty for revenge against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain last week, an injury that could have ruled the Chiefs quarterback out for the rest of the postseason.

But the MVP frontrunner is set for a swift recovery after his return to practice this week went "better than I expected".

Mahomes is still restricted in his movement, however, as he said on Thursday: "I feel like I can still do a lot of things, but we'll see as we get closer and closer.

"We'll see during the game. You can't fully do exactly what it's going to be like in those moments in the game.

"All I can do is prepare myself the best way possible, and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline takes over and you can make those throws when you need to."

The concern for the Chiefs is the Bengals won this game last year, again at Arrowhead Stadium, when Mahomes was fully fit.

This is the first time a conference championship has been repeated in consecutive years since the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens played back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2011 and 2012, with both of those in Foxborough.

However, the teams split those games. The Steelers, against the Houston Oilers in Pittsburgh in 1978 and 1979, are the only team to have beaten the same opposition at the same venue in successive conference championships.

The Bengals will be confident of joining that company, however, as they have won all three of their conference championship appearances, a record only bettered by the 5-0 New York Giants.

Cincy are also 3-0 in their past three games against the Chiefs, although the margin of victory has been just three points on each occasion. No team have ever won four consecutive games against a single opponent by exactly three points.

If nothing else, this is familiar territory for the Chiefs, who will have hosted five AFC Championship Games in a row.

No other team in either conference have hosted more than three straight championships, although Kansas City are 2-2 over the first four.

Two days after Andy Reid said Patrick Mahomes would play in Sunday's AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback reiterated his coach's sentiment.

'"AFC championship week," Mahomes said Wednesday. '"I'm ready to go."

Mahomes confirmed he would play four days after sustaining a high ankle sprain while being tackled by two Jacksonville Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter of Kansas City's 27-20 divisional-round win.

He sat out Saturday's second quarter but after X-rays during the game came back negative, he returned in the second half to lead the Chiefs to a fifth straight AFC title game.

An MRI on Sunday showed no structural damage, and Mahomes said the right ankle is doing much better.

"It's doing good," he said. "I've done a few days of treatment, a few days of rehab. I'm excited to get on the practice field and kind of test it out and see where I'm at. But it's feeling good so far."

Wednesday marked the first of three practices for the Chiefs in preparation for the Bengals. Reid said Mahomes would go through a full practice without any limitations, so it appears the team is not too concerned with the injury.

Before practice, Mahomes was named a finalist for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

The 2018 NFL MVP led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes while helping the Chiefs to an AFC-best 14-3 record.

Three of the four quarterbacks who have led their teams to their conference's championship game have been named finalists for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts and Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are among the five finalists announced on Wednesday.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson were also tabbed as finalists.

Mahomes, the current betting favourite to win the honour for the second time in his career, Hurts and Jefferson are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year along with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

The 2018 NFL MVP led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes while helping the Chiefs to an AFC-best 14-3 record. Top-seeded Kansas City will host Burrow's Bengals in the conference title game on Sunday.

Hurts compiled 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 14-3 record and the NFC's No. 1 seed. Philadelphia will host a San Francisco 49ers team guided by quarterback Brock Purdy, one of three finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year, in Sunday's conference championship.

Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft who has gone 7-0 since replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, is joined by Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker and New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson as finalists.

San Francisco's stout defence was also represented with end Nick Bosa one of three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, the runner-up for the award last season, and Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones are also up for the honour.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was also named a finalist for NFL Coach of the Year along with the New York Giants' Brian Daboll and Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson, both of whom directed their teams to playoff appearances in their first seasons.

San Francisco garnered two other award finalists in running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. McCaffrey joins Giants running Saquon Barkley and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith as candidates for Comeback Player of the Year, while Ryans is a finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year.

Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson are the other Assistant Coach of the Year finalists.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year award will go to either Jets cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson or Seahawks corner Tariq Woolen.

All of this season's winners will be announced at the NFL Honors event in Phoenix on February 9, three days before Super Bowl LVII will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizozna.

Voting was conducted before the start of the playoffs by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league.

Patrick Mahomes is set on playing in the AFC Championship Game despite his ankle injury, says Andy Reid.

Mahomes sat out the second quarter on Saturday as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round.

He sustained a right ankle injury while being tackled by two Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter.

The MVP favourite was listed as questionable but returned for the second half and, despite struggling to move freely, helped Kansas City win 27-20 and reach the conference title game for a fifth successive season.

Mahomes said after the game he would be "good to go" when the Chiefs face the Cincinnati Bengals.

And coach Reid told reporters on Monday the 27-year-old had done "amazing things with limited time" as he looks to ensure he can feature.

"He's worked hard in the treatment and is doing okay," Reid told reporters.

"He told you guys. He mentioned to you that he's going to play. That's his mindset. Then we'll just take it day by day and see how he does.

"As far as the reps, I'll have to see how he feels as we get ready for practice."

Reid also suggested the injury is not as serious as that Mahomes suffered at the start of the 2019 season, also against the Jaguars.

The Cincinnati Bengals revelled in causing problems for those who had formed plans for a neutral site AFC Championship Game as they defeated the Buffalo Bills to secure another road game at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Victory for the Bills on Sunday, due to the cancelled regular season game between the teams when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, would have seen them meet the Chiefs in Atlanta.

The NFL had even set in motion ticket sales, which did great business with the game just a week away, but the alternative plan will not now be required after the Bengals won 27-10 in Buffalo.

Joe Burrow had the Bengals in control from the outset, and he had advice for those who had planned to see the Bills play the Chiefs.

"Better send those refunds," he told CBS.

Coach Zac Taylor added at a news conference with a grin: "We had our minds set to go and play in Kansas City.

"It is tough, because they have to formulate the plans for coin tosses, they have to formulate the plans for neutral site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody.

"I hate that for the people who have to endure all those logistical issues. We just keep screwing it up, so I'm sorry."

The Bengals won in Kansas City in last year's AFC Championship Game, and Taylor has no doubts they are capable of a repeat.

"We're built for this," he said. "It doesn't matter what anybody thinks about us.

"We don't care who's favourite and who's not; we're built for this. We're excited to go on the road to Kansas City."

The Bills had been 13-1 in home playoff games in the Super Bowl era, but that record merely provided a source of motivation for Taylor's team.

"In our whole team, you just look at the leadership in every position," he said.

"We talked about last night how they were 13-1 in the playoffs, the best home winning percentage in NFL history. I wanted to show that to the team, because I knew what that would do to them.

"It wouldn't put fear in them that 'oh my God, we're walking into an environment that people don't win in', it was completely the opposite for our guys. It was."

Burrow completed his first nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, putting the Bengals 14-0 up before the Bills had a first down.

"He's the greatest," Taylor said. "He does a great job leading this team, managing situations. The bigger the moment gets, the calmer he gets, and the team feeds off that."

But Burrow was keen to deflect praise onto the offensive line, which was missing key personnel but ensured the quarterback took only a single sack.

"It was one of their best games of the year – rushing, pass blocking," Burrow said. "It might be our most complete game of the year as a team."

Burrow, like Taylor, is confident of the team's chances against the Chiefs, believing they are better now than they were when winning that game last year.

"I think we're a more complete team, I think we're a better team," he explained. "We just seem to make plays when it counts. That's all there is to say.

"I think our O-line is better, I think our run game is better, I think our defense is better, I think our special teams is better. We're just overall a much better team than we were last year."

Trevor Lawrence is certain the Jacksonville Jaguars are at the beginning of their journey rather than the end after their 27-20 Divisional Round defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Jaguars put up a fight at Arrowhead Stadium, pulling the deficit back to just three points at 20-17 in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs added another touchdown and closed out the win.

Lawrence completed 24 of his 39 pass attempts for a total of 217 yards, with one touchdown to show for it, as well as rushing three times for 26 yards.

"We worked so hard to get here," the quarterback said following Saturday's loss. "Nobody thought we were going to be here and we had our shot and that's what hurts.

"We'll be back. I'm confident in that. This is more the beginning than it is the end of something.

"This is just getting started for us. We got a taste of it and guys are already hungry to get this opportunity again."

Jacksonville reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and did so by securing just the second AFC South title in franchise history.

"I think this year obviously was huge for this organisation, for our city, for just our franchise moving forward," Lawrence added. "That kind of sets the bar of who we're going to be and what we're going to do moving forward and that's the mindset and we won't settle for less than that. We got a taste of it being here but there's more left and we all feel that.

"It's going to make us better. This won't be the last you guys hear of us. We'll be back."

Head coach Doug Pederson echoed his quarterback's words, and credited the Jaguars for making Lawrence the number one pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

"I think it's everything," Pederson said about having a franchise QB. "I've said this before that the success of your football team lies with your quarterback and you've got to get that piece and that player right and I feel that Jacksonville got that person right. And he's just going to get better.

"We're all hurting because of the loss, but we're all hurting too because this is the final game of this year and that's the hard thing. But, like I told the guys, these are the games we're going to learn from and we're going to be better because of.

"I told them, 'Just plan on every year of us being in these meaningful games at the end of the season.' We want to be one of the four, five, six teams in the AFC every year."

Patrick Mahomes vowed he will fit to play in the Kansas City Chiefs' AFC Championship Game despite picking up an ankle injury in Saturday's 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mahomes sat out the second quarter when he headed down into the locker room and was listed as questionable due to an injury suffered at the end of the first, but returned heavily strapped up as the Chiefs claimed a place in the AFC Championship Game for the fifth straight season.

The MVP candidate revealed after the game that he had undergone X-rays in the locker room in the second quarter that cleared him to return, offering him confidence he will be available next weekend too.

"The X-rays were negative," Mahomes told NBC. "They haven’t diagnosed anything yet. But I'll be good to go [for the AFC Championship Game]."

"I did not want to go [to the locker room]. They gave me the ultimatum that I wasn’t going back in, unless I went in there. They were trying to take care of me, we've got a lot of great people over here. But it will take a lot to keep me out of the football game."

The Chiefs will face either the Buffalo Bills or the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, with those two sides to do battle on Sunday. If the Bills win, the game will be played in neutral Atlanta, while a Bengals victory will make the host Kansas City.

Mahomes soldiered on in the second half against the Jags, improving his Divisional Round record to 5-0, finishing the game with 22-of-30 passing for 195 yards with two touchdowns.

The quarterback threw a jump TD pass for Marquez Valdes-Scantling to open up a 10-point fourth-quarter lead after the Jags had rallied back to 20-17.

"It's a credit to the guys around me," Mahomes said. "The offensive line kept me clean in the pocket knowing I couldn’t move. The guys made plays around me.

"That's what a great team does, when somebody gets a little banged up, everybody else steps up."

Chiefs wide receiver Travis Kelce, who had 14 catches for 98 yards with two touchdowns, said he feared the worst when Mahomes went down.

"You don’t want to go down the train of thinking the worst but you automatically do," he said. "He's our fearless leader, we goes, he goes. Even when he had to step out, he was still on that sideline making sure we're still good."

Mahomes and Andy Reid are now joint second for most consecutive Conference Championship Game appearances by a quarterback-head coach duo with five, alongside Ken Stabler and John Madden. New England's Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have the most with eight from 2011 to 2018.

Patrick Mahomes battled through an ankle injury to help the Kansas City Chiefs overcome the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round.

Mahomes sat out the second quarter due to an injury suffered at the end of the first, but returned heavily strapped up as the Chiefs claimed a place in the AFC Championship Game with a 27-20 victory at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

The MVP favourite was ultimately crucial – his pass through to Marquez Valdes-Scantling restoring Kansas City's 10-point lead after Travis Etienne Jr had hauled the Jaguars to within touching distance in the final quarter.

Mahomes' speed and agility was too good for the Jacksonville defense early on, allowing Travis Kelce to go through.

Trevor Lawrence had his say with a 10-yard pass for Christian Kirk to level the scores at 7-7, when Mahomes suffered an apparent twist to his right ankle.

After attempting to return only to throw the ball to the ground for a field goal that was converted by Harrison Butker, Mahomes begrudgingly headed to the locker room and was listed as questionable.

He returned to the sideline to watch backup Chad Henne, a former Jaguars QB, send the brilliant Kelce over for his second touchdown.

Andy Reid gambled on Mahomes' fitness for the second half, and even though he was not moving freely, the 27-year-old soon scrambled for a first down.

A simple Mahomes pass to the open Kelce paved the way for Butker to drill over his second 50-yard field goal and nose the Chiefs further ahead, though Eitenne Jr's four-yard rush teed up a grandstand finale.

This was Mahomes' day, though, and he became the 11th player in NFL history with 30 or more passing TDs in the playoffs when he picked out Valdes-Scantling, with some superb defense, including a stunning interception from Jaylen Watson, getting the Super Bowl LIV champions into a fifth successive Conference Championship game, where they will meet the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills.

Riley Patterson's late punt made little difference as Chiefs coach Andy Reid reached 20 career postseason wins, moving level with Tom Landry. Only Bill Belichick has more (31).

Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Divisional Round clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

MVP-favourite Mahomes suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury during the first quarter of Saturday's game, in a potentially huge blow to Kansas City.

The quarterback returned to the field with heavy strapping around his ankle, though it was clear he was struggling as he hobbled forward before throwing the ball to the ground, paving the way for Harrison Butker to kick a 50-yard field goal to edge the Chiefs into a three-point lead.

Mahomes seemed to be debating whether he could continue with head coach Andy Reid, before he eventually headed down to the locker room.

The 27-year-old did not look happy with the decision, as veteran back-up Chad Henne, a former Jaguars QB, came on in his place.

Henne's first task was to get the ball out of the Chiefs' own end zone, though he managed to do so as Mahomes returned to watch on from the sideline with his status uncertain.

Mahomes was able to watch his team extend their lead after Isiah Pacheco's brilliant drive set the stage for Henne to find Travis Kelce, who went over for his second touchdown of the game.

The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs are the among the five teams set to host matches in London and Germany as part of the NFL's 2023 International Games.

The Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars complete the quintet heading to Europe as designated home teams during the 2023 season.

London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will welcome the Bills and the Titans, while the Jaguars return to their home away from home at Wembley Stadium as part of their multi-year commitment to playing in the UK.

The 2023 season will mark a landmark 10th appearance for Jacksonville in London, while the Bills (2015) and Titans (2018) will make their second appearance in the city.

Two games will also take place in Germany, with the Chiefs and the Patriots set to feature, though venues are yet to be confirmed.

The NFL previously announced that Munich, which hosted the clash between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks in 2022, and Frankfurt will stage games in Germany over the next four years.

Details on the dates, opponents and kick-off times will be announced later in the year when the full schedule for the 2023 NFL season is announced.

The NFL announced that Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host a potential AFC Championship Game between the number two seed Buffalo Bills and the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

In a statement released on Thursday, the NFL confirmed that the game would be played on Sunday January 29, with Atlanta only used as the venue if those two sides are matched up.

That came following the cancellation of the Week 17 game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals after Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter and went into cardiac arrest.

The NFL had already confirmed that in the event of a Bills-Chiefs' AFC Championship Game matchup that the contest would be played at a neutral site, given both sides played an unequal number of regular season games due to the Bills-Bengals' cancellation.

The Bills are due to host the seventh-seed Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in the Wild Card round, while the Chiefs have a bye and will face the lowest AFC seed remaining in the Divisional round.

"We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement.

"We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both of those clubs for their assistance in the planning process."

Mercedes-Benz Stadium was opened in 2017 and has an American Football capacity of 71,000.

Head coach Andy Reid says the Kansas City Chiefs will enjoy a much-needed break after clinching the AFC's No.1 seed with their 31-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Reid secured the top seed for the sixth time as an NFL head coach, with the Chiefs beginning their postseason campaign with a divisional round game in a fortnight at Arrowhead Stadium.

There is uncertainty after that should the Chiefs progress to the AFC Championship Game which may be played at a neutral venue following the NFL's decision on the cancelled Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game.

For now, Reid was delighted for his side to earn a break for the first time since their Week 8 bye as they aim for a second Super Bowl title in four seasons.

"I think it's a good thing," Reid told reporters about earning the top seed. "You've still got to take care of business. Our guys understand that.

"We'll give them a few days off next week and get them back in towards the end of the week and get some practice in there and start the regular week after that.

"Just take a step back and get yourself where you feel stronger and healthier, mentally and physically it's a good thing."

Reid was delighted with a strong display against the Raiders in a game where they were always in control, as Patrick Mahomes set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, a 67-yard completion to Justin Watson.

"We needed that," Reid said. "We really hadn't put it all together. I thought this was a good time - if I had to pick a time to do it, this was a good time to do it.

"We strive for it every week, but it seemed like it all kind of came together today, which is a plus."

MVP candidate Mahomes ended his regular-season with 5,614 total yards when he was removed in the final minutes, with 41 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns.

"It's important," Mahomes said about earning the top seed. "Getting that bye, it's like winning a playoff game.

"Now we need to focus on watching tomorrow and this next week and seeing who we play and come up with our best football."

The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the number one seed in the AFC playoffs as Patrick Mahomes made history in an easy 31-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

With Monday's game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals cancelled following the cardiac arrest suffered by Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the Chiefs knew they could clinch the top seed with a victory in Las Vegas.

Mahomes set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, a 67-yard completion to Justin Watson, which was soon followed by a two-yard toss to Jerick McKinnon after some vintage play outside the pocket from the Chiefs quarterback.

The Chiefs were ruthless in taking advantage of a Jarrett Stidham interception as Mahomes led a three-play drive capped by a two-yard touchdown plunge from Ronald Jones III.

A second-quarter red-zone stand from the Kansas City defense seemed to sap the energy out of home crowd that struggled to outnumber the Chiefs fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium.

The Chiefs' superiority was summed up on the subsequent 12-play drive from Kansas City when the visitors scored a touchdown on a trick play to Kadarius Toney after they broke the huddle bouncing around in a circle in unison. That score was called back by penalty, only for the Chiefs to hand the ball to Toney for an 11-yard touchdown on the next play.

From there, it was over as a contest, with Isiah Pacheco's fourth-quarter rushing touchdown adding gloss to the scoreline and Mahomes ending his regular-season with 5,614 total yards when he was removed in the final minutes.

Kansas City will get the week off while the rest of the AFC playoff teams contest the Wild Card round and will have home advantage throughout the road to the Super Bowl unless the Bills beat the New England Patriots on Sunday and go on to face the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

In that scenario, the game that will decide the AFC representative in the Super Bowl will be played at a neutral site as part of changes approved by NFL owners following the cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game.

The NFL's one-season rule change could have complicating factors for the Kansas City Chiefs further down the line, but their task for Week 18 is simple: beat the Las Vegas Raiders and earn a bye to the divisional round.

With the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals – both rivals for the first seed in the AFC – to finish the year having played only 16 games, neither will be able to catch the Chiefs should they defeat the Raiders.

That will not necessarily mean an AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium, with a neutral venue potentially coming into play, but it does assure them of a week off and a favourable route through the postseason.

Fans in Buffalo and Cincinnati could reasonably be frustrated, and their hopes of the Chiefs being halted rest with an unlikely Raiders victory.

The Chiefs are 9-1 in their past 10 games against the Raiders, and their most recent nine meetings – including a high-scoring defeat in 2020 – have seen Kansas City score at least 28 points.

Only the Los Angeles Rams against the Green Bay Packers, between 1949 and 1953, have ever scored 28 or more points in 10 straight encounters.

Even in Las Vegas, there is little reason to believe that sequence will end this week, given the Chiefs' dominant road form this year.

They have scored 264 points across eight games away from Arrowhead, meaning the Chiefs will have scored the third-most road points in a season in NFL history if they hit their average of 33.0 again.

MVP frontrunner Patrick Mahomes loves playing the Raiders, too, having thrown more touchdowns in this matchup (26) than in any other.

In 2022, he has passed 5,000 passing yards (5,048) and 250 rushing yards (329) in a season for the second time in his career; only two other quarterbacks in NFL history have ever enjoyed one such campaign (Jameis Winston in 2019 and Justin Herbert in 2021).

Yet the Raiders improbably have their own in-form QB, with former New England Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham last week impressing in his first career start.

Stidham threw for 365 yards and three TDs against the San Francisco 49ers, joining Mike White last season as the second QB in the Super Bowl era to mark his first start with 350 passing yards and three passing TDs.

Repeating that performance against the highly motivated Chiefs is a tough ask, though.