The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. It is a tale of who will have the least turnovers, and which team’s defense will show up.
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The last time these two teams met was in 2019, Patrick Mahomes‘ first year as the starter, and the Chiefs defeated the Vikings 26-23 with Matt Moore at the helm, who was filling in for an injured Mahomes. Much like that score, many believe it will be a close game due to the uncertainty of the Chiefs’ offense, and the Vikings are looking to put their 0-3 start behind them, especially after winning last week. It should be a good game.
It’s interesting to note that overall, the Chiefs lead the series in wins in the regular season, but in the last six times these teams have met, the home team has been the one to come away with the victory. Do with that what you will.
Kansas City has not exactly been blowing teams out of the water. It seems the beatdown on the Chicago Bears might have been a fluke since, in the other three games, the Chiefs offense has been held to 23 points or less. Highly unusual for such a normally high-flying team. The Vikings will need to take advantage of that to get points on the board often and avoid those pesky turnovers. However, the defense for Minnesota does not have much depth to it. They will need to make up for that, and they have been able to this season by bringing blitz pressure about 50 percent of the time.
Kirk Cousins will need to have a great game. He’s been good all season, but the offense has been riddled with some poor plays and decisions. The Chiefs’ defense will need to take advantage of that, and they will need to keep Justin Jefferson from making big plays, as well. Minnesota has a great offense, they just need to do more to keep the team rolling.
Game Info
Date: Sunday, October 8, 2023
Start time: 4:25 ET
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Stadium: U.S. Bank Stadium
TV Info: CBS, NFL+, Sunday Ticket, SiriusXM
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Point Spread: KC -3.5(-110), MIN +3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: KC (-198), MIN (+164)
Over/Under: O/U 53(-110)
The Chiefs are the favorite to win but don’t Cousins and the Vikings out just yet. The Jets proved it was possible to play against them, but the odds still favor Kansas City.
What To Watch For
To have a good game, there are several questions that need to be answered.
- Will Mahomes click with any of his receivers?
- Can Minnesota’s offense stop with the turnovers?
- Will the Vikings’ defense get to Mahomes?
- Can the Chiefs rattle Cousins and get him off his game?
Minnesota has the momentum from getting their first victory; this game will be a good test to see if they can capitalize on it and find a way to come out with a victory. We’ll need to see if the Chiefs go for more of a pass-or-run attack on offense. Either way, with both positives and negatives on each side of the ball for both teams, it will be a closer game than many think.
If Minnesota comes away with a victory over the reigning Super Bowl champions, look for it to be a season-changing event. Fans need the Chiefs to have someone besides Travis Kelce step up; so far, Isiah Pacheco has been on the rise, but more players need to take the reins.
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