The Chiefs could get more help this week with the return of two injured players.
Jordan Schultz of Per Fox Sports Running back Patrick Mahomes was dominant in a Chiefs victory”>Isiah Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu are scheduled to return to practice this week. Pacheco, the team’s leading rusher the past two seasons, has missed the past seven games with a broken fibula, while Omenihu has not played since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in last year’s AFC Championship Game.
Even without Omenihu, the Chiefs are allowing the fourth-lowest yards per game (289.9) and fifth-lowest points per game (17.9). Offensively, running back Kareem Hunt rushed for a team-high 449 yards and five touchdowns in relief of Pacheco.
Buffalo holds a 29-25-1 record against Kansas City, last meeting in the divisional round of the playoffs last year, where the Chiefs found another game to win 27-24. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is off to an 8-2 start against Buffalo, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 4-3 against Buffalo in his career.
The assumption is that Kansas City will remain undefeated until they prove otherwise.
Cincinnati Bengals at LA Chargers (-1.5)
Cincinnati may be the best 4-6 team the NFL has ever seen, but unlike the Chiefs, the Bengals continue to find ways to lose. In the AFC, only Baltimore (31.8) and Buffalo (29.0) score more points per game than Cincinnati (27.0).
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow leads the league with 2,672 passing yards. Meanwhile, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is coming off a 264-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Ravens and currently has more yards (981) than any other wide receiver. Only three teams gain more yards per game (254.8) than the Bengals.
The Bengals can’t afford to lose any more games. A win on Sunday Night Football this week could be just what Cincinnati needs to save its season.
The Chargers offense, which ranked 22nd in yards per game (314.3) and 23rd in points per game (20.7), was nothing special under new coach Jim Harbaugh. Sure, no team gives up fewer points per game (13.9) than LA, but that team has struggled against teams with quality quarterbacks.
The Chargers had no problems with Justin Fields, Will Levis, Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler, Jameis Winston, and Bryce Young, but fell back on quarterbacks like Mahomes, Kyle Murray, and Justin Fields.
Expect Burrow and Chase to test the Chargers’ defense and leave Los Angeles with a much-needed win.
