Here is who national experts are saying will win Chiefs-Packers game
The Chiefs are 1-2 at Arrowhead Stadium this season, and nearly all of the nation’s NFL writers believe the Chiefs will lose again there on Sunday.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won’t play in Sunday night’s prime-time meeting with the Green Bay Packers, and that swayed some of those who made picks for the game, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. and will be shown on NBC (Ch. 41).
Fifty-one experts from around the nation revealed their Week 8 predictions. Here is who they think will win and what they’re saying about the game:
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com predicted a 31-23 Packers win. Here is part of what he wrote: “I don’t believe the Chiefs defense is fixed because of one great night in Denver, although the return to practice of defensive tackle Chris Jones this week is promising. Blitzing Rodgers every snap like the Chiefs did to Joe Flacco last week won’t work, but Andy Reid relying on his three-headed rushing attack against a Packers defense that is increasingly porous on the ground could give Matt Moore a fighting chance.”
All eight CBS Sports writers see a Packers victory: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Jamey Eisenberg, Jason La Canfora, Will Brinson and Dave Richard. Prisco predicted a 30-23 Packers victory. This is what he wrote: “This was supposed to be Patrick Mahomes against Aaron Rodgers. But now it’s Matt Moore against Rodgers. That’s a big edge for the Packers. And it will show up. It’s not easy to win at Arrowhead, no matter who is playing quarterback for the Chiefs, but the Packers will get it done here.”
Tadd Haislop of the Sporting News called a 24-14 Green Bay win. This is part of what he wrote: “No matter how Kansas City wants to play this with Matt Moore, Green Bay has an advantage, even in the cauldron of noise that is Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs don’t have the rush defense to beat the Packers in a battle of attrition, which is the only logical strategy against Rodgers”
Seven of the eight SB Nation writers are picking the Packers: James Brady, Christian D’Andrea, Sarah Hardy, Morgan Moriarty, Geoff Schwartz, Stephen White and Bernd Buchmasser. Adam Stites is forecasting a Chiefs win. Stites wrote in part: “While Mahomes is out a few weeks, the Chiefs will be relying on Matt Moore to lead the way. And our team isn’t convinced that it’s going to work out well for Kansas City, at least not this week against the 6-1 Green Bay Packers.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Michael David Smith went with Green Bay. Smith predicted a 24-20 final score. This is what he wrote: “What could have been a great game, Aaron Rodgers vs. Patrick Mahomes, now has just one of the great quarterbacks. As a result, I’m picking the Packers to win a game when I otherwise would have bet on the Chiefs.” Florio sees a 34-27 Packers win. He wrote: “Mahomes or no Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers is operating on a different level.”
Each of the eight Pro Football Focus writers went with the Packers: Neil Hornsby, Steve Palazzolo, Bruce Gradkowski, Solomon Wilcots, Jeff Ratcliffe, Sam Monson, Nathan Jahnke and Austin Gayle.
Nine of the 10 experts at ESPN see a Packers victory: Mike Clay, Mike Golic, Dan Graziano, Jason Reid, Matt Bowen, Mina Kimes, Kevin Seifert, Seth Wickersham and Trey Wingo. The lone pick for the Chiefs came from Louis Riddick.
The seven writers from USA Today all picked the Packers: Jarrett Bell (33-26 final score), Nate Davis (27-19), Jori Epstein (34-24), Mike Jones (32-24), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (31-19), Lorenzo Reyes (31-24) and Tom Schad (34-27).
Each of the six of Sports Illustrated Monday Morning Quarterback writers went the Packers: Andrew Brandt, Kalyn Kahler, Mitch Goldich, Bette Marston, Jenny Vrentas and Conor Orr.
This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 8:30 AM.
