KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Even in this most unpredictable season in this most unpredictable of sports, what's happening in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday looks like a cinch to predict.

The Kansas City Chiefs have beaten the Oakland Raiders 18 of the last 20 times they've met. They've had Oakland's number like no other team in the NFL has had anybody's number. The only series in the decade of the '90s that's been close to this lopsided is the 49ers-Rams, where San Francisco has won 17 of 20 -- but lost twice this year.

The Chiefs have beaten the Raiders when it counted. They've beaten them when it didn't count. They've routed them and they've come from behind. On Nov. 28, they rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter at Oakland to ignite a four-game winning streak. That boosted them into a first-place tie with Seattle in the AFC West with one game to go.

Now all the Chiefs (9-6) need is to beat the Raiders on Sunday in the regular-season finale to nail down a playoff berth. The Raiders (7-8) are crippled by injuries to their starting offensive tackles. They are reduced to brave talk when considering their chances of coming into packed, noisy Arrowhead and doing something they did only twice in the entire decade of the '90s.

"We're going to finish the season in Kansas City, and we're playing for pride," said Raiders coach Jon Gruden. "And pride is probably the most important thing that we can have in this business. That's how we'll approach it."

A victory by the Chiefs and a loss by Seattle at the New York Jets would give Kansas City the AFC West championship and a home playoff game next weekend against a wild card. But the Chiefs can get a wild card no matter what happens as long as they beat the Raiders.

"Motivation is the Kansas City Chiefs," Gruden said. "They're a team that desperately needs this game. It's an archrival of ours, a team that we have not had success against recently. And we're playing for pride, which is really the most important thing that you have in your life, is pride."

If any team should be vulnerable to a bad case of over-confidence, it would be the Chiefs.

"We're not going to let that happen," said center Tim Grunhard. "I think this game means a lot to the Raiders. They want to come in here with the attitude they can beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead. They're going to have a lot of pride and a lot of enthusiasm.

"It's always fun to beat somebody in their own back yard. They're not going to just be finishing the season out. They're going to expect to win."

The 5-point underdog Raiders might have one ace in the hole, quarterback Rich Gannon. A Pro Bowler, Gannon spent the four previous seasons as a popular backup and sometimes-starter in Kansas City.

He would probably be playing for the Chiefs right now if they hadn't told him they were committed to a younger Elvis Grbac.

Still Gannon, tied for second in the AFC with a 59.6 completion percentage, insisted he harbored no animosity toward the team that told him to take a hike.

"We have our own agenda and what we're trying to accomplish," Gannon said. "We're trying to salvage an 8-8 season ourselves, and that's our big focus. To beat the Chiefs would be a big deal. But there's not a real emphasis necessarily on trying to spoil someone else's season as much as to finish our season the right way."

But even in this regard, history seems to be on the side of the Chiefs. Former Kansas City starting quarterbacks who came back to start against the Chiefs are a combined 1-10.

"Arrowhead is a very tough place to play, maybe the toughest place for a road team in the league," Gannon said.

Gannon is not the only player in this game who has changed sides. So did Chiefs defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, a former Raider who has quietly had a terrific season as the Chiefs' primary run-stopper.

"To me, that would just make my season," said Oakland wide receiver Tim Brown. "If I know that big Chester McGlockton is going to be home the same time I'm home, I would just feel very good about that."

OAKLAND Season schedule and results

KANSAS CITY Season schedule and results

September 12 @Green Bay L 24-28 September 19 @Minnesota W 22-17 September 26 Chicago W 24-17 October 3 @Seattle L 21-22 October 10 Denver L 13-16 October 17 @Buffalo W 20-14 October 24 NY Jets W 24-23 October 31 Miami L 9-16 November 14 San Diego W 28-9 November 22 @Denver L 21-27 November 28 Kansas City L 34-37 December 5 Seattle W 30-21 December 9 @Tennessee L 14-21 December 19 Tampa Bay W 45-0 December 26 @San Diego L 20-23 January 2 @Kansas City 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Chicago L 17-20 September 19 Denver W 26-10 September 26 Detroit W 31-21 October 3 @San Diego L 14-21 October 10 New England W 16-14 October 21 @Baltimore W 35-8 October 31 San Diego W 34-0 November 7 @Indianapolis L 17-25 November 14 @Tampa Bay L 10-17 November 21 Seattle L 19-31 November 28 @Oakland W 37-34 December 5 @Denver W 16-10 December 12 Minnesota W 31-28 December 18 Pittsburgh W 35-19 December 26 @Seattle L 14-23 January 2 Oakland 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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