Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/Sipa USA
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs: Can the Chiefs stay undefeated?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Buccaneers are on a crossroad
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are second in the NFC South with a 4-4 record. They lost the last two games and are coming off a 31-26 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Baker Mayfield went for 330 yards on 37 of 50 passing with a 94.6 QB rating. They are fourth in the league scoring 29.4 points per game on 389.5 yards per game and are ranked third with 71.1 percent of passing completion.
The Chiefs have a perfect season
The Kansas City Chiefs are on top of the AFC West with the best record in the league 7-0. They are coming off a 27-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders with Patrick Mahomes going 27 of 38 for 262 yards. The Cheifs are sixth in the league with 31.1 rushing attempts per game and are ranked ninth scoring 24.7 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Chiefs are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games overall, 6-0 SU in their last 6 home games, and 17-3 SU in their last 20 games against teams from the NFC. They are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played on Monday, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games played on Monday. Kansas City has played under the total point line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, 5 of their last 7 games against teams from the NFC South, and 9 of their last 12 games played in November. The Buccaneers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games overall, 6-2 SU in their last 8 games against the Chiefs, 2-10 SU in their last 12 games against teams fro the AFC and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games played in November. They are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against the Chiefs and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games on the road. Tampa Bay has played over the total point line in their last 5 games overall and 13 of their last 19 games played in Week 9.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Chiefs are the only undefeated team in the league and are hosting the Buccaneers, to whom they lost in 6 of the last 8 games. Kansas City has not been dominant while having a perfect record, as 5 of their 7 wins came with 7 or fewer points margin, and they haven’t scored more than 30 points so far in the season. The Buccaneers are averaging 34.2 points in the last 5 games, but defensively, they have allowed 30 or more points in 3 of the past 4 games. Baker Mayfield leads the league with 21 touchdown passes and is tied with Mahomes and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers with nine interceptions, the most in the NFL. The Bucs will be without standout receiver Mike Evans, while linebacker Lavonte David, defensive lineman Greg Gaines, running back Bucky Irving, and receiver Sterling Shepard are questionable. For the Chiefs, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, offensive lineman Ethan Driskell, and cornerback Nazeeh Johnson are doubtful for the Monday night game. The Chiefs will eventually lose at some point of the season, but that will not be tonight, so we go with Kansas City to cover the 8.5-point spread.