The 1 Thing the Raiders Must Do vs. Chiefs

The Las Vegas Raiders are on pace to finally spark the turnaround they have been in search of. They hoped the turnaround would start on the field with wins this season. Instead, it started with the losses that have piled up this season. Las Vegas is one loss away from the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Where the Raiders Stand

The Raiders Dan Parr of NFL.com analyzed where each of the teams near the top of the draft boards sit in the draft order heading into Week 18. The Raiders' loss to the Giants put them in the driver's seat for the No. 1 pick in the draft. All the Raiders have to do is lose on Sunday to the Chiefs.

"Sunday’s blowout loss to the Giants gave the Raiders the inside track to the first overall pick. All Vegas needs to clinch it is a loss or tie against the Chiefs in Week 18. However, a win over Kansas City means the strength of schedule tiebreaker would likely determine who picks first. The Raiders have a higher SOS than the Giants -- the only other team still in the running for the No. 1 selection, per NFL Research's Jack Andrade -- and the tiebreaker goes to the team with the lower SOS," Parr said.

Leading up to Sunday's loss to the Giants, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll explained that he was not overly concerned about Las Vegas securing the top pick in the draft. Shortly after his comments, the Raiders' front office shut down Brock Bowers, Jeremy Chinn and Maxx Crosby for the season.

"I'm not really that concerned about any of that, and I don't think you want me to be. We're going to go play and play the best we can play and see what happens," Carroll said—spoken like a coach that knows what is at stake for the Raiders as they close out the season.

The Raiders' decision to sit their best players heading into the final two games of the season made it very clear where the front office stood. At 2-14, it does the Raiders absolutely no good to win on Sunday against the Chiefs; in fact, winning would do much more harm than good.

Still, Carroll has handled the questions about the Raiders' goals over their final two games like a true professional. The legendary coach insisted Bowers, Chinn, and Crosby are hurt, and the Raiders are not protecting their draft stock by sitting their best players.