The Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) host the Oakland Raiders (10-2) at Arrowhead Stadium in primetime for this week's edition of NBC's Thursday Night Football, which also will be live-streamed via Twitter at tnf.twitter.com.
The winner of this game will take sole possession of first place in the AFC West division, which is considered the toughest division in all of football as the four teams have a combined record of 32-16.
This is two storied rivals facing off in what's going to be a very cold December evening in a game that has playoff implications for both teams.
The Raiders have won six straight after falling to the Chiefs by a score of 26-10 back in Week 6, while the Chiefs have pulled off back-to-back wins over the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons in improbable fashion.
It's set to be one of the best primetime games of the season, and if the Chiefs' last nationally televised game is any indication, this is one you won't want to miss.
Here are eight stats to know heading into Thursday's game: 1. The Chiefs have won eight straight against AFC West opponents
The Chiefs haven't lost a divisional game since Week 2 of last season against the Denver Broncos, who were able to steal a 31-24 victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Since that game, which spans eight straight divisional wins, the Chiefs have averaged more than 27 points per game, while the defense has allowed an average of just 15 points per game.
Against the Raiders specifically, the Chiefs have averaged 28 points and allowed an average of less than 16 over the past three games.
Since Andy Reid's arrival in Kansas City in 2013, the Chiefs are 6-1 against the Raiders, including a perfect 3-0 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have won 10 of their last 11 AFC West Division contests and are currently in the midst of an eight-game division winning streak, tied with the Texans for the longest current streak in the NFL. *2. Alex Smith hoping success vs. Raiders continues *
Whether it was during his time as a member of the San Francisco 49ers or since he's been with the Chiefs the past four seasons, Alex Smith has always seen the Raiders as a rival.
And he's had pretty good success against them.
In his career, Smith is 8-1 against the Raiders and has thrown 18 touchdowns to just three interceptions with an average passer rating of 107.0 in those games.
Smith has won four straight against the silver and black.
3. Last time they played, running back Spencer Ware had a day
During their meeting earlier this year back in Week 6, Ware finished the game with 24 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown.
From a statistical perspective, it's the best game of Ware's career and it's still the only time he's gone over 100 yards on the ground this season. 4. Raiders have struggled at stopping the run
It wasn't just Ware's big day in Week 6 that has highlighted the Raiders' struggles in stopping the run.
In fact, they've allowed at least 100 yards rushing in nine of their 12 games this season.
Over the past three games, the Raiders have allowed 465 yards rushing with seven touchdowns.
The Houston Texans (33 ATT, 124 YDS, 1 TD), Carolina Panthers (25 ATT, 129 YDS, 3 TDs) and Buffalo Bills (30 ATT, 212 YDs, 3 TDs) all made a concerted effort to run the ball against this Raiders defense. 5. Raiders QB Derek Carr playing like a legitimate MVP candidate
Through 12 games, Carr has completed 66 percent of his passes for an average of 281 yards per game with 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Carr has also orchestrated six fourth-quarter comeback/game-winning drives this season, and 11 in his career.
But it's a different story for Carr in his career when it comes to the Chiefs, against whom he has a 1-4 record and has completed just 58 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Carr has lost four straight to the Chiefs.
6. Marcus Peters has played well in his career against his hometown team
It's the team he grew up watching and rooting for, but you'd never know it by the way he's played against them over the past couple of seasons.
In three career games against the Raiders—all wins, Peters has 9 tackles, two interceptions, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and four passes defensed.
In his only other game on Thursday Night Football, Peters intercepted a Peyton Manning pass and returned it 55 yards for the score. It was the first game of his career at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2 of last season. 7. Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack ranks among NFL's best
Through 12 games this season, Mack is tied for third in the league with the Buffalo Bills' Lorenzo Alexander and the Chiefs' Dee Ford with 10 sacks.
Mack, who was the Raiders No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Buffalo, has had at least one sack in seven straight games. He also has a forced fumble in two straight games. 8. The Chiefs keep taking the ball away and scoring in various ways
It's the most important statistic to illustrate the reasoning behind the team's success this season, particularly when it's matched up with an offense that has turned it over just 11 times all year, but the Chiefs have taken the ball away from their opponents 25 times this season, which leads the league.
The Chiefs have 14 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries on the year, and they've turned those 25 takeaways into 79 points, which ranks second in the NFL.
Led by Eric Berry's two pick-6s this year, the Chiefs have four on the season with Derrick Johnson and Daniel Sorensen also getting in on the mix, while tight end Demetrius Harris returned a special teams fumble for a score as well.
Adding in rookie Tyreek Hill's return touchdown against the Broncos two weeks ago, the Chiefs lead the NFL with six non-offensive touchdowns this season.
