Here is who national experts are saying will win Chiefs-Lions game
Ned Yost, who will manage his final game Sunday with the Royals, somewhat famously noted that “pinch-hitting for guys gets in their dome.” As chance would have it, the Chiefs are playing Sunday in a dome (Ford Field).
Coincidence? Absolutely. But I thought it was a fun and odd note.
The Chiefs, 3-0, will face off against the 2-0-1 Lions, in Detroit. It will be quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first game in a dome as a professional.
Fifty-three experts from around the nation made picks for the game, which kicks off at noon and will be shown on Fox (Ch. 4). Only one person didn’t pick the Chiefs to win. Here is the breakdown and what those pundits wrote about the Chiefs:
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com had the Chiefs as his lock of the week. He predicted a 35-24 victory. Here is part of what he wrote: “Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes in September make even quality defenses like those of the Jaguars and Ravens look foolish, and this week should be no different. The bigger question in this matchup is whether a sharper Matthew Stafford, who has been more willing to go down the field, can keep up in a shootout against a Chiefs pass defense that quietly ranks ninth in DVOA and ninth in PFF’s pass-coverage grades.”
All eight CBS Sports writers forecast a Chiefs victory: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, Jason La Canfora, Ryan Wilson, John Breech and Will Brinson. Prisco predicted a Chiefs 34-24 victory. Here is an excerpt of what Prisco wrote: “The Chiefs have already won two road games, so they can handle the road. Their players will look even faster here in this one. The Chiefs roll up another big number with Patrick Mahomes.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Michael David Smith both picked the Chiefs. Smith predicted a 35-16 win. This is part of what he wrote: “It’s not often that an undefeated team is a touchdown underdog at home, but the Lions are — and they should be even bigger underdogs.” Florio, who sees a 34-24 final score, wrote: “If the Lions can pull this one off, we need to dramatically change how we view the Lions. For now, though, it’s hard to imagine any team not located in New England outpacing Patrick Mahomes and company.”
Nine of ESPN’s 10 experts all believe the Chiefs will win: Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Mike Golic, Mina Kimes, Jason Reid, Louis Riddick, Kevin Seifert, Dan Graziano and Trey Wingo. The pick for the Lions came from Seth Wickersham.
All eight Pro Focus Football writers predicted a Chiefs win: Neil Hornsby, Steve Palazzolo, Bruce Gradkowski, Nathan Jahnke, Solomon Wilcots, Jeff Ratcliffe, Sam Monson and Austin Gayle.
Tadd Haislop of the Sporting News picked a 30-21 Chiefs win. This is an excerpt of what he wrote: “An indoor matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs was going to be tough enough for Detroit with Darius Slay, but the star corner is dealing with a bad hamstring. Kerryon Johnson might have his moments against a vulnerable Kansas City run defense, but even if he does,it won’t be enough.”
Each of the eight of SB Nation’s writers are picking the Chiefs: James Brady, Christian D’Andrea, Sarah Hardy, Adam Stites, Geoff Schwartz, Stephen White, R.J. Ochoa and Morgan Moriarty.
Each of USA Today’s seven writers picked the Chiefs: Jarrett Bell (34-29 final score), Jori Epstein (38-27), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (38-21), Nate Davis (33-20), Lorenzo Reyes (33-23), Tom Schad (28-14) and Mike Jones (27-21).
All eight of Sports Illustrated Monday Morning Quarterback writers picked the Chiefs: Andrew Brandt, Mitch Goldich, Jonathan Jones, Bette Marston, Conor Orr, Jenny Vrentas, Mark Mravic and Kayln Kahler.
This story was originally published September 29, 2019 at 7:45 AM.