Minnesota @ Kansas City preview
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 18, 2015 ) Kansas City 10, Minnesota 16
It will be a matchup of legitimate Super Bowl hopefuls when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The question is whether the Chiefs will have their MVP quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes has been limited in practice after missing last week’s loss to Green Bay with a dislocated kneecap, and his status for Sunday is unclear. With Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs look like one of the biggest threats to New England’s reign in the AFC, but their defense hasn’t play well enough to make up for the dropoff in offensive production with veteran Matt Moore at the helm. Minnesota will put that defense to the test with an offense led by running back Dalvin Cook, the league’s leading rusher with 823 yards and an NFL-best nine touchdowns. The Vikings won the most recent meeting, 16-10 at home in 2015.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Minnesota -2.5. O/U: N/A.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS (6-2): Minnesota has leaned on Cook’s legs in the first half of the season, but despite throwing the fewest passes in the NFL, Kirk Cousins has been a steady force at quarterback. His 115.2 rating is second in the league, thanks in large part to 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. The Vikings’ defense has been nasty, too, and ranks third in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and fifth in total defense (313.9 yards)..
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (5-3): Kansas City has lost three of its last four — all by seven points or fewer — and the Vikings are a tough matchup for them, with or without their star quarterback. The Chiefs don’t run the ball well, averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt, and their passing game loses a step with Moore standing in for Mahomes. Minnesota is a difficult draw for Kansas City’s defense, which is near the bottom of the league against the run (145 yards per game) and allows 4.9 yards per rush — third-highest in the NFL.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Minnesota WR Stefon Diggs has 453 receiving yards in the past three games, the most in a three-game stretch in franchise history.
2. Kansas City TE Travis Kelce leads all NFL tight ends in catches (313), receiving yards (4,103) and receiving touchdowns (24) since 2016.
3. Vikings DE Danielle Hunter has 48 career sacks, the most in NFL history for a player before his 25th birthday.
PREDICTION: Vikings 24, Chiefs 23