Arrowhead Pride
Before the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts, five of our eight Arrowhead Pride panelists picked the Chiefs to win. As a group, we called for Kansas City to emerge with a 25-21 win, which carried only four points of error from the game’s 23-20 score. So even though three of us picked the wrong team — which significantly shuffled the standings — it was our closest prediction of the season. Our readers generally saw it pretty much the same way. Two-thirds thought it would be a close game — and 42% thought the Colts would win.*
In Week 13, the Chiefs face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Kansas City is favored by 3.5 points.
Let’s see what the staff — and our readers — think about the matchup.
This is a really interesting game. Both teams just achieved their biggest win of the season with a huge comeback. Both teams had to exhaust themselves to get across the finish line, and now they play four days later.
I expect points in this game. Dallas’s zone-based defense is not equipped to stop this version of the Chiefs offense. On the other side, the Dallas offense is legit — and will put stress on the Chiefs’ secondary to make plays. Quarterback Dak Prescott is one of the league’s smartest quarterbacks. He will have answers for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Ultimately, I think Kansas City has the better roster and coaching staff, so I’ll take them — but this game will not be easy.
Chiefs 30, Cowboys 24
The Cowboys are essentially the 2018 Chiefs: one of the league’s top offenses combined with one of the league’s worst defenses. Meanwhile, Kansas City might be fielding the most well-balanced team of head coach Andy Reid’s tenure. Yet both teams have struggled to collect victories. Both must now stack wins to have a real chance at the playoffs. Players from both teams are emotionally exhausted after come-from-behind wins that depended on last-second field goals — and have had only a short week to get themselves right.
So this game will either be one of the best we’ll see all season… or a sloppy mess. In such a situation, I have to put my money on the team that’s been in this situation over and over again.
Chiefs 27, Cowboys 16
I’m torn on this matchup. I believe the Chiefs will win — and I know they can win — but the Cowboys’ wide receivers present a nightmare matchup. If Kansas City can’t generate pressure with the front four — and Prescott has time to operate — that’s a problem for a secondary that must deal with the explosiveness of wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
The best approach may be matching cornerback Trent McDuffie on Lamb — letting him follow the the wideout all day —...
