2026-01-04 Chiefs @ Raiders

Nothing playoff-related is at stake here: Kansas City (6–10) and Las Vegas (2–14) are both eliminated in the AFC West (Denver/Chargers already own the division’s playoff spots).
So the “Week 18 meaning” is more like draft + evaluation + pride:

• Raiders’ stake: with another loss, Las Vegas is positioned to land the No. 1 overall pick — so even if the building is loud, the incentives are… complicated.
• Chiefs’ stake: this is a “who belongs in 2026” game, and it’s happening without Patrick Mahomes (knee injury; Chris Oladokun expected to start).
• QB volatility on both sides: the Raiders are without Geno Smith and have indicated a Pickett/O’Connell rotation.
• Availability/rest storylines: KC’s official report lists Trey Smith (Out), Xavier Worthy (Out) and “rest-managed” tags on key defenders/backs (e.g., Karlaftis/Pacheco questionable with NIR (Rest)).

Astrology-wise, this chart screams “weird Week 18”: Uranus basically welded to the ASC, a Capricorn pileup (Sun–Venus–Mars) pulling on a big Jupiter opposition, and a Leo Moon near the IC with a tight Moon–Pluto opposition. That’s classic unpredictable momentum + sudden swings + one or two nasty turning points.

KTB Core

Dominants and balance

• Element balance (main 7): heavy Earth (Capricorn stack) with a strong Water counterpunch (Jupiter in Cancer, Saturn in Pisces). Fire/air are present, but not driving.
• Modality: strongly Cardinal (Capricorn + Cancer) → fast “whoever seizes it first” energy, but it can also mean sloppy overreach when motivation is uneven.
• Chart dominants:
  1. Capricorn stellium (Sun–Venus–Mars + Mercury nearby) = structure, trench pressure, “business” football.
  2. Uranus on the ASC = chaos factor, sudden breaks, surprise scores/turnovers.
  3. Saturn–Neptune conjunction (H11) = foggy incentives / mixed motivation / late-season drift.

Moon story (momentum + crowd + flow)

• Moon in Leo (H3), near the IC (home-angle): the building matters — crowd emotion, sideline energy, hype surges. Even in a lost season, this can produce a “prove something at home” push early.
• Moon ☍ Pluto (H9): sharp momentum flips. This is the signature for a dramatic swing: a strip, a pick, a sudden special-teams break, or one brutal 3-and-out sequence that changes the whole feel.
• Exact Moon ⚻ Mercury (0°00): miscommunications and timing errors are on the menu (route depth, snap count, substitution confusion, busted leverage).

Angles and angular hits

• ASC Taurus 27°57 with Uranus Taurus 27°50 (≈ exact conjunction): expect the unexpected. This is one of the loudest “variance” tells you can get in a kickoff chart.
• MC Aquarius 08°08 with Pluto Aquarius 02°50 (within ~5°): power moment(s) on the “public/result” axis — a defining sequence that feels inevitable after it happens.

Team assignment

• Raiders = ASC (home) → ASC ruler Venus
• Chiefs = DSC (away) → DSC ruler Mars (traditional), Pluto (co-ruler)

Rulers: condition and aspects (who has the keys?)

Raiders (ASC Venus):

• Venus in Capricorn (H8) tightly tied into the Capricorn machine:
  • Sun ☌ Venus (0°26 applying)
  • Venus ☌ Mars (1°34 applying)
  • Venus ☍ Jupiter (6°44 applying)
• Translation: Raiders’ “path” is high-pressure, high-leverage football (H8): short fields, turnover opportunities, red-zone conversion, situational calls. But Venus being so close to the Sun can also read like playing under a harsh spotlight — mistakes get amplified, and the margin for error is thin.

Chiefs (DSC Mars / Pluto):

• Mars exalted in Capricorn (H9), sitting right on the 9th-cusp area: this is excellent for an away side in a literal “travel/9th house” way. Mars here wants to impose.
• Pluto in Aquarius (H9) near the MC: adds a “one big decisive moment” quality — the away team can win the headline moments even if the game is ugly.
• The main caution flag: Mars ☍ Jupiter + the broader Capricorn planets opposing Jupiter → overconfidence penalties, blown contain, or “we got cute and paid for it.”

House-based game notes

• H8 emphasis (Sun/Venus + Mercury in H8):
  Expect possession pivots: turnovers, turnover-near-misses, aggressive 4th downs, goal-line stands, or a red-zone sequence that defines the spread.
• H3 vs H9 axis lit up (Moon/Jupiter in H3 vs Capricorn/Mars/Pluto in H9):
  Local emotion vs travel execution. That often looks like: home team rides an emotional surge, but the away side’s structure and situational control determines the closing chapters.
• Saturn–Neptune in H11:
  “Why are we doing this?” energy. Great for weird rotations, experimental play-calling, and late-game randomness.

Bottom-line lean (astrology only)

• Chiefs edge on chart structure: DSC ruler Mars is exalted and strongly placed in the away/travel house, with Pluto near the MC supporting “win the decisive moment.”
• Raiders upset path is absolutely live because Uranus is basically conjunct the ASC and the Moon is near the IC — that’s the recipe for a sudden swing game. If it happens, it’ll look like: short field(s), one busted coverage, and a momentum cascade.