Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) at Oakland Raiders (0-10)

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, at o.Co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif. – TV: NFL Network

*TV announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

*Keys to the game: Other than their zero in the win column, there are two numbers that should concern the Raiders most this week: their 27th-ranked run defense and their minus-12 turnover differential. The Chiefs enter averaging 4.8 yards per carry behind Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis.

No shot against QB Alex Smith, but to call him “efficient” would be more than fair. K.C. has a five-game winning streak and Smith has yet to throw a touchdown to a wide receiver all season. He rarely pushes the ball downfield past 10 yards, and rarely needs to with Charles and Davis creating short- to medium-range distances. The Raiders are going to have to load the box, which still might not be enough to stuff the run, and take their chances in single coverage downfield.

Opponents control the ball an average of 7:37 longer than the Raiders, and that figures to rise with Oakland entering with the league’s least productive ground game. The Raiders have produced 233 yards or less in four of their past five games, but rookie QB Derek Carr can only do so much when constantly throwing out of 3rd-and-8s. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson also must be wary of his protection schemes with Chiefs OLBs Justin Houston and Tamba Hali entering with 17 combined sacks.

*Matchup to watch – Chiefs CB Rod Parker vs. Raiders WR James Jones: If there’s an area for Carr to attack, it’s Parker, the former safety who was routinely targeted by the Seahawks last week. Jones leads the Raiders with 49 receptions, but is averaging just 10.2 yards per catch.

*Player spotlight – Raiders RB Latavius Murray: The second-year third-stringer provided a bit of a jolt with a 23-yard run last week, the Raiders’ longest of the season, en route to 43 yards on four carries, and could be in line for more touches.

*Fast facts: Raiders QB Matt Schaub’s teams have lost their past 24 games, including a 14-game losing streak to end last season with Houston. … Oakland has lost 16 consecutive games against teams with winning records, seven straight against AFC West rivals and has an eight-game road losing streak. … The Chiefs swept last season’s series by a combined score of 80-38.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The Raiders play hard and have a few winnable games on their schedule. This isn’t one of them. Not with the Chiefs smelling blood in the AFC West waters with Denver reeling, and not with the Raiders’ poor run defense playing right into K.C.’s strength.

*Our pick: Chiefs 27-16