It seemed like old times for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday night when they throttled their AFC West Division rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, in their opponent's home stadium, 41-14.

Mahomes threw for 422 yards, ending a career worst of three straight games under 300 yards, was not sacked, didn’t surrender an interception and tossed five scoring passes. It was a breath of fresh air for Andy Reid’s squad that came into the game tied for last place in their division race and left Las Vegas alone in first.

The bettors have never abandoned the Chiefs. Even though they have only beaten the point spread four times in their last 21 games, the bettors continued to back their chances like a mother cheering her little leaguer while he is striking out.

After their impressive win on Sunday night, the Chiefs are favored this coming Sunday when they host the Dallas Cowboys at Arrowhead Stadium.

You know what the difference is between the Cowboys and Raiders this season?

Everything.

There have been plenty of times over Jerry Jones' tenure as Dallas owner when the circus has been in play in Big D. Not this year. The Cowboys have bounced back from their horrible 2020 campaign with a season that has them a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Even when this team had to play on the road without starting quarterback Dak Prescott a couple weeks ago, they beat the Minnesota Vikings.

The fact that they followed up that upset road triumph with a clunker of a game when Prescott returned and the Cowboys were double-digit favorites over the Denver Broncos, is more a case of a motivational trap than a team in decline.

While we're on the subject of teams in decline, I suggest two of them met in Vegas on Sunday night. It just turned out that the team in a steeper decline was the Raiders, who came into the contest ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West standings and came out of the game tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for second place and behind the rejuvenated Chiefs.

Are the Cowboys in decline?

No.

They followed up their surprise loss to the Broncos, as great teams most often do, with a convincing victory. They sliced, diced and mutilated the Atlanta Falcons in Dallas on Sunday, 43-3. This week, in Kansas City, they are underdogs against a Chiefs team that doesn’t get the benefit of playing a team in disarray and that could spell problems for a Kansas City squad that hasn’t convinced me that they are back to Super Bowl form because they downed a broken Raiders squad.

This is a simple case of wrong team favored.

Of course, it has to be that way, because while the Chiefs are 4-17-1 in their last 22 point spread decisions, they have been favored every time except their final game of the 2020 season when assured of the top seed in the AFC playoffs they rested everyone and the Chargers picked up a gift win.

Qoxhi Picks: Dallas Cowboys (+2½) over Kansas CIty Chiefs