Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Quest for Undefeated Season Continues Tonight on MNF vs Tampa Bay Bucs
The undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes take their perfect record up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Let's look at the matchup and the Chiefs' schedule moving forward to see how likely an undefeated season is for KC.
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Chiefs Favored vs Bucs Tonight
The Chiefs (7-0) are close to a double-digit favorite (-9) as they get the Bucs at home tonight. Kansas City is coming off a 27-20 win over the Raiders while the Bucs have lost 2 games in a row to the Falcons and Ravens. Baker Mayfield is the NFL leader in TD passes with 21 but he has tossed 9 interceptions this season. He has thrown 7 in the last 3 games as Tampa Bay went just 1-2 during that stretch.
After an incredibly slow start, Travis Kelce is getting into a groove with Patrick Mahomes. Kelce had 90 yards last week and caught his first TD of the season. He has had 70+ yards in 3 of the last 4 games.
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Looking at the Chiefs Remaining Schedule
If the Chiefs win tonight, they move to 8-0. It's still very early, but do they have what it takes to go undefeated? Here is the rest of the team's schedule. They already had their bye week so it is a straight shot to the playoffs.
- 11/10 vs Broncos
- 11/17 at Bills
- 11/24 at Panthers
- 11/29 vs Raiders
- 12/8 vs Chargers
- 12/15 at Browns
- 12/21 vs Texans
- 12/25 at Steelers
- 1/5 at Broncos
There are several tough games in this stretch including battles with the Bills, Chargers, Texans, and Steelers. Also, division games are never easy and they still have to play the Broncos (5-4) twice. Games like the Panthers, Raiders, and Browns seem like they are wins but anything can happen in the NFL.
Chiefs Defense Has Dominated
The defense has been great in Kansas City as they rank in the top 5 in points against (3rd) and total yards (5th). The unit has registered 15 sacks and has forced 7 fumbles. Also, they have been a nightmare for quarterbacks registering 50 QB hits and 35 tackles for loss. If the defense keeps playing this well and Patrick Mahomes starts to get hot, the Chiefs are going to be near impossible to beat when the playoffs roll around.
Will They Rest Down the Stretch?
It would be interesting to see what Andy Reid and company decide if they get to 13-0 or 14-0 and have the number one seed locked up. Would they consider resting players down the stretch? The argument is made each year about whether or not you should rest players and potentially go into the playoffs rusty. These guys are professional, it's hard to believe rest is a bad thing. The Chiefs rested players in the final game of last year and had no trouble going on to win the Super Bowl.
A team hasn't finished the regular season undefeated since the 2007 New England Patriots. The Pats were stopped short of a 19-0 season in the Super Bowl as they lost to the Giants 17-14.
Can Mahomes Win the MVP?
This season has been odd for Patrick Mahomes as his numbers are the worst of his career but many sportsbooks still have him top 3 in odds to win the MVP bending Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. It's hard to ignore the quarterback on an undefeated team, especially if that quarterback is Patrick Mahomes. He probably gets a pass because we know how incredible he can be.
Down the stretch, Mahomes will have plenty of chances to turn his numbers around as he has just 8 touchdown passes and has thrown 9 interceptions this season. Games with the Bills, Chargers, Steelers, and Texans will give him a big stage to show just how valuable he can be.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will be hard to overshadow. Allen has thrown 17 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while adding 3 rushing touchdowns for the 7-2 Bills. Lamar Jackson had a perfect QB rating on Sunday and has 20 touchdown passes while adding 2 on the ground. Also, Jackson is first in QB (77.3).
