Getty Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings (6-2) will visit the reeling Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs have not looked the same since their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a knee injury.
The Vikings, on the other hand, have won four straight and are one of the hottest teams in football right now. Their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, was just named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. So which team will have the edge in this one?
Here’s a game preview with betting lines and our prediction.
Chiefs
This Chiefs team is simply not the same without Patrick Mahomes. Matt Moore has filled in capably, but Mahomes and his one-of-a-kind energy can not be matched or replaced. Still, Moore has played very well considering he hadn’t started a game since 2017 prior to last week. In Week 8 against the Packers, Moore threw for 267 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
On defense, Kansas City has been very bad through eight games. They’re giving up 22.6 points and 377 yards a game, and they’ll be facing a powerhouse Vikings offense featuring Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Thielen is currently questionable with a hamstring injury, so his presence or absence might be something to watch in this one. The Vikings have the NFL’s third-ranked offense, scoring 26.4 points a game while gaining 396.5 yards per contest. The Chiefs are close behind, ranked fifth in the league, putting up 28.2 points while netting an average of 392.5 yards a game.
Kansas City will be playing at home, but that’s not necessarily a good thing for them. The Chiefs have been awful at home this season, going 1-3 so far.
Vikings
The Vikings enter this game featuring one of the most well-balanced attacks in football. Their offense is ranked third, while their defense is ranked fifth. They’re 2-2 while playing away from home, however, so both of their losses this year have come on the road.
The Vikings will likely lean heavily on running back Dalvin Cook, who has five 100-yard rushing games on the season. The Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run, giving up 145 yards rushing per game. Kansas City could be in for a long game if the Vikings break out to a big lead early.
Trends, Pick & Prediction
SPREAD: Chiefs +2
OVER/UNDER: 48.5
Odds Shark has predicted a 30-20 Vikings win, with Minnesota covering the spread and the total score going over the projected total of 48.5 points.
Some relevant trends surrounding the game courtesy of Odds Shark:
• The Vikings are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota’s last 14 games.
• The Vikings are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
• Minnesota is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games against Kansas City.
• The Chiefs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 11 of Kansas City’s last 16 games.
• Kansas City is 13-7 SU in their last 20 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games against Minnesota.
We’re with Odds Shark on all but one thing–we see the Vikings winning a close one by a field goal, but we’re going under on this one, with a slightly lower score than most are predicting.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Chiefs 21