The 4 p.m. ET trade deadline is quickly approaching as Kansas City Chiefs fans wonder if the team will make a splash move on the defensive line or at running back to give itself a boost for the second half of the season.
The Chiefs, who have a bye this week, haven’t made any moves yet, but saw one of their AFC West rivals make a trade, which will have a significant impact on how the division race shakes out.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Las Vegas Raiders are trading veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for fourth and sixth-round picks. On the surface, you might be saying to yourself that this is great news for the Chiefs, as the Raiders are weakening their desolate offense.
The Chiefs blew out the Raiders, 31-0, in Week 7, and will see the Raiders during the final week of the regular season, where Vegas will be playing for a top-5 pick. That should be an easy win for Kansas City.
However, the Denver Broncos still have to play the Raiders twice, while the Chargers have one more meeting against Las Vegas, giving them both a chance to stay ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West standings.
Raiders Just Did Broncos a Big Favor That the Chiefs Will Hate
The first-place Broncos enter Week 10 with a two-game lead over the surprising third-place Chiefs. Denver (7-2) is scheduled to play the Raiders on Thursday night, who are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Jaguars.
The Broncos are viewed as 9.5-point favorites heading into this week’s game, and for all intents and purposes, they should beat the Raiders on Thursday night. If that happens, Denver will be 8-2 and have at least a 2.5-game lead over KC.
Now, the Chiefs will have a chance to close that gap as they get to play the Broncos in Week 11 at Mile High. KC must win that game because they have the Indianapolis Colts up next in Week 12, while Denver will be on a bye.
However, after their bye week, the Broncos have two winnable games against the Washington Commanders, who won’t have Jayden Daniels, and the Raiders. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13 and the Houston Texans in Week 14.
Those games are also winnable for the Chiefs, but KC is really behind the proverbial 8-ball, as they’ll be trying to play catch-up and hope Denver slips up. It likely won’t happen this week as the Broncos’ defense will only have to focus its attention on Brock Bowers with Meyers now out the door. This is why wins and losses early in the season can hurt or help you because you don’t know how things will play out.