Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs have had their share of issues this season, but they are the NFL’s only unbeaten team at 7-0 as they chase down a fourth Super Bowl win in six seasons.
On Monday they close out the Week 9 schedule with a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and revenge could be on their minds after the Bucs denied them another Super Bowl success with a 31-9 win in February 2021.
The Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games to fall to 4-4 after a strong start to the season and they are facing a tough task without their top two wide receivers due to injury.
The Chiefs are strong favourites as they bid for a franchise-record 14th consecutive win.
Kansas City Chiefs Tampa Bay Buccaneers tips
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Bucs should be able to avoid a heavy loss
The Chiefs are understandably clear favourites for this contest given their unbeaten start and the visitors’ injury issues, with wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both out of action.
Even so, they have been workmanlike rather than flashy in their latest defence of the Vince Lombardi Trophy and may be happy to settle for another win by a single-figure margin as they cruise smoothly towards another play-off campaign.
Only two of the Chiefs’ seven wins have come by 10 points or more – a 26-13 victory over the Saints and a 28-18 win in San Francisco – but the others have come by more modest margins of seven, one, five, seven and seven points.
The Chiefs have not been able to post gaudy offensive numbers this season due to their own injuries at wide receiver, with Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown and Rashee Rice both unavailable, and, like last season, they have often relied on their defence and running game.
That makes for closer, lower-scoring contests and the Bucs have had some success against the Chiefs in the past, with the Super Bowl win being one of four wins for the Florida-based team in the last five meetings.
Their offence, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, has not taken a backward step despite their receiver issues, scoring 108 points in the last three games despite losing two of them, and while they could struggle to get their running game going against the solid Chiefs defence, this contest may not turn into a rout.
Xavier is worthy of a wager
Rookie Xavier Worthy has not posted particularly eye-catching numbers yet for the Chiefs but the first-round draft pick has an ideal chance to shine against a suspect Buccaneers secondary.
The Bucs rank 29th of the 32 teams in passing yards allowed per game and Worthy may not need many catches to exceed his receiving yards line of 34.
The former Texas star has averaged right around that mark at 33.6 yards per game so far in his career, but he has moved up the depth chart faster than he might have expected and has been targeted eight times by quarterback Patrick Mahomes in each of the Chiefs’ last two games against the 49ers and Raiders. He has also scored five total touchdowns already this season, with three TD receptions and a pair of rushing scores.
All odds correct at time of writing
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