Football expert Phil Steele is the owner and publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, regarded as the college football bible. Get in-depth coverage of college and pro football 24/7/365 at PhilSteele.com and follow him on Twitter @philsteele042.
Chiefs (-4½) over RAIDERS: Chiefs recovered nicely after losing three in a row. In that three-game stretch, the Chiefs faced San Diego’s No. 4 pass offense and Denver’s No. 1 pass offense twice but shut down Washington’s No. 17 pass offense and now faces the league’s No. 27 unit in Oakland. Kansas City is tied with the best road record in the NFL at 5-1 and has won those games by an average score of 30-12 while Oakland is 3-3 at home getting outscored by an average score of 23-20. The Chiefs get satisfaction clinching a playoff berth against their rival.
49ers/BUCCANEERS Under 41: Last week saw the most points ever scored in an NFL weekend, so now I’ll be a contrarian and use the Under in this game. The 49ers have the league’s No. 3 scoring defense while the Bucs have the 11th. On offense, the Niners are averaging 20 points per game their last five, while the Bucs are the NFL’s No. 30 scoring offense on the season. QB Mike Glennon has played better on the road than at home, where is completing only 58 percent (65 percent on road) with a 9 touchdowns, six interception ratio (6-1 away) and will struggle even more this week vs. the league’s No. 1 pass defense.
LAST WEEK (NFL): 1-1
SEASON: 14-13-1