Buffalo Rumblings
The Chiefs welcome a wounded Buccaneers team void of star power at wide receiver
The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet in Missouri tonight to close Week 9 on ESPN Monday Night Football. Yes, once again the Chiefs are in the national spotlight for a home game. (Do they ever play road games?)
There’s no love lost between Bills Mafia and Chiefs Kingdom. No NFL team has found the same level of success KC has in the last half decade — and the Chiefs often spoil Buffalo’s postseason.
As we learned in Rachel Auberger’s Week 9 Buffalo Bills rooting interests guide, this is what’s at stake for Buffalo if the Chiefs lose this evening:
Any excuse to root against the reigning Super Bowl champions is a good one for Bills Mafia. Right now, the Chiefs remain the only undefeated team in the NFL, and a loss — any loss — before they head to Highmark Stadium in Week 11 (assuming Buffalo keeps winning) means that the Bills could change the entire playoff picture before Thanksgiving.
So yes, this evening, there’s every reason to root on the Buccaneers to victory. That is, unless you subscribe to the idea that a Chiefs loss will motivate and elevate quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company to a level yet unseen in 2024 — which would be a detriment to the Bills winning in Week 11.
The reality is that, tonight, winning will be a huge challenge for Tampa Bay. There’s that whole playing in Arrowhead situation, which, again, conveniently happens over and over for KC in primetime. Some might believe it to be favorable for all parties to show the NFL darlings winning in front of the biggest audience.
Aside from that, Tampa Bay is down its two stud wide receivers in Mike Evans (IR, hamstring) and Chris Godwin (Seasong-ending IR, ankle). That doesn’t favor quarterback Baker Mayfield’s chances against a very talented Chiefs defense — one featuring all-world defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Tonight, FanDuel Sportsbook has the undefeated Chiefs entering play favored by 9.5 points over the .500 Buccaneers. That’s a huge spread for a spotlight game, and reveals a lot about how people feel about Tampa Bay’s chances tonight. The O/U is set at 45.5 total points.
The way I see it, Mahomes isn’t losing tonight. Blah, blah, blah, greatness personified. We. Get. It. There’s also the Taylor Swift factor, and she’s in-house this evening.
Mayfield should make things interesting, but I don’t know that the final result is as close as predicted by the spread. Things could get really ugly this evening. I feel that way even after considering the fact that Kansas City hasn’t scored more than 28 points in a game this season. So too, when remembering that Mahomes is the NFL interceptions leader, having thrown nine picks against just eight touchdowns.
If you’re looking for encouraging trends, I’ve been terrible picking winners in spotlight games this season. Why is that encouraging? Here’s why:
**Kansas City Chiefs...
