Big-time battle for the ball

Securing pigskin even more crucial against Chiefs’ grabby defense

ALAMEDA — The Raiders departed for Kansas City on Wednesday with the knowledge that mistakes will determine supremacy in the AFC West.

That holds true for most NFL games, but it’s huge when it comes to the Chiefs.

Although Kansas City played well offensively in a 26-10 win in Oakland on Oct. 16, the Chiefs have built much of their 9-3 record on the strength of defense and special teams. Nearly half of their season point total (138 of 281) has come from defense and special teams.

The Raiders (10-2) visit Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night against a team that has four interception returns for touchdowns and two special teams scores, one on a kickoff return and the other on a fumble return while in kick coverage.

Their leading scorer, Cairo Santos, is 25 of 28 on field-goal attempts and has 99 points. The Chiefs are ranked 23rd in the NFL in total offense at 333.3 yards per game, but their plus-14 turnover margin leads the NFL.

The Raiders, by contrast, have scored more than 66 percent of their points on touchdowns. Their plus-12 turnover ratio is third, behind only the Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings (plus-13).

“Some teams do a great job of taking the ball off you and things like that,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “Both of our teams are doing a great job in turnover ratio. That’s one of the No. 1 factors in winning football.”

n The minor surprise in Wednesday’s final injury report is that defensive tackle Darius Latham was upgraded to questionable and was limited in practice.

Those who are out include safety Karl Joseph (toe), defensive tackle Stacy McGee (ankle), linebacker Shilique Calhoun (knee). Listed as questionable are guard Kelechi Osemele (knee) and linebacker Cory James (shoulder).

The Chiefs look to be nearly at full strength. The only players listed as questionable are defensive tackle Dontari Poe (back) and defensive lineman Kendall Reyes (knee).