The Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) square off with the Carolina Panthers (3-5) on Sunday after coming off a brilliant performance against the New York Jets last week, which was highlighted by quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing 31 completions for 416 yards and five touchdowns.
Mahomes is the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns with just one interception through the first eight weeks of a given season. This week, he’ll be taking on a Panthers pass defense that has allowed an average of 232.5 yards per game, which is 14th-best in the NFL.
The Carolina defense has built a reputation that they prefer to keep things in front of them. They allow one of the highest completion percentages, 69.1%, in the league (ranked 27th) but allow one of the lowest yards-per-attempt averages of any other secondary (6.6 ypa).
However, playing against Kansas City’s offense is a whole other matter. The Chiefs are at the top of the league with 31 pass plays of 20 yards or more. Factor in Mahomes is adapting to makes shorter reads to take what a defense gives him, keeping him off the field is not going to be an easy feat.
Not to mention, keeping Mahomes off the field is only half of the battle when playing the Chiefs. In order to beat them, most teams figure they’ll need at least 30 points to have a chance. There’s just one problem with that, Kansas City is the only defense in the NFL to hold opposing offenses to under 20 points per game this season, and their 14 takeaways are tied for the league lead.
Factor in the latest game quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had against Atlanta’s 32nd-ranked pass defense (15-of-23 for 176 yds, TD and INT) last week, and the task to keep up with Kansas City becomes even more daunting.
However, one way the Panthers could find success is by hurting the Chiefs where they hurt the most, and that’s their run defense. Through the first eight games of the season, Kansas City has allowed an average of 142.8 yards per game on the ground, and while the Chiefs run-D has improved over previous weeks, it’s may still be the one way the Panthers are able to move up the field, especially if Bridgewater struggles in the passing game.
This could mean that Carolina’s all-pro running back, Christian McCaffrey, who will reportedly make his return after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2, could be coming back at the perfect time. Although it will be hard to say what kind of production the Panthers might get from him, Kansas City should prepare as if he’s fully healthy because of how dynamic he can be on the gridiron.
Kansas City currently leads the Panthers in the all-time series, winning four of six games, and have not lost to Carolina since 2008. Barring a potential upset, this one should go in the Chiefs favor fairly quickly.
Prediction: 31 – 17 Chiefs
