NFL schedule Week 14: Who plays on Thursday night?
By John Buhler
Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season is upon us. Where will Thursday Night Football be this week and which two teams are playing?
Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season is underway. Thursday Night Football this week will feature a pair of bitter AFC West rivals in the Oakland Raiders (10-2) and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-3).
Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday, Dec. 8 will be at 8:25 p.m. ET. NBC, the NFL Network and Twitter will all carry the game.
This could be the most important Thursday Night Football game of the season. These are two certain AFC Playoff teams duking it out in Arrowhead, with the winner being the presumed favorite to win the AFC West and get a first-round bye.
Oakland is 10-2 on the year, but one of their two losses came against the Chiefs. Kansas City is 9-3 and only a game back of the Raiders in the AFC West standings. Should Kansas City beat Oakland in Arrowhead, it will complete the season sweep of the Chiefs and take control of the AFC West race.
This one could go either way, but Kansas City will be the slight favorite over Oakland at home. Oakland got its 10th win of the season by outlasting the Buffalo Bills at home in Week 13. Kansas City need a pair of Eric Berry interceptions to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon.
Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick Of All-Time
In short, Kansas City is coming off an emotional win on the road in Week 13. That could be a contributing factor in a letdown game for the Chiefs. Oakland has been the most emotional team on the season. This is a must-win game for these bitter rivals. Getting that first-round bye in the AFC Playoffs would make either team the most worthy of challengers for the New England Patriots in the AFC.