Here is who national experts are predicting will win Chiefs-Bears game
Let’s be honest. The Chiefs haven’t been at their best in “Sunday Night Football” games this season.
The Chiefs lost 19-13 at home to the Colts in a “Sunday Night Football” contest, and the Packers came to Arrowhead Stadium and beat the Chiefs 31-24 in another prime-time game on NBC. To be fair, Patrick Mahomes didn’t play against Green Bay because of an injury.
Will a third time on “Sunday Night Football” be the charm?
Fifty-one experts from around the nation made predictions for the game and they think the Chiefs will prevail. Here are the picks and what they’re saying about the game, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. and will be shown on NBC (Ch. 41):
The Chiefs will win 27-17 writes Tadd Haislop of the Sporting News. This is a snippet of what he wrote: “Now coupled with a legit defense, Kansas City’s offense is rolling again just in time for a playoff push. To be in a better seeding position for that run, the Chiefs will be motivated to take care of the Bears. Chicago’s still-solid defense doesn’t have enough answers for Mahomes and Co.”
All of the eight CBS Sports experts forecast a Chiefs victory: Ryan Wilson, Jason La Canfora, John Breech, Dave Richard, Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Jamey Eisenberg and Will Brinson. Prisco predicted a 31-17 Chiefs win. Here is part of what wrote: “This won’t be an easy trip for Kansas City, but the way their defense is playing I think they will find a way. Patrick Mahomes outplays Mitch Trubisky.”
A 29-17 Chiefs victory is the prediction from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. Here is a snippet of what he wrote: “The Chiefs’ passing attack is coming together at the perfect time and should be playoff-ready after facing a string of challenging defenses, including the Bears this week. Following a brief hot streak, Mitchell Trubisky is also wrapping up his nightmare season with a difficult slate. Kansas City’s pass defense gets better by the week, with Steve Spagnuolo able to mix his looks because he trusts his safeties in the back end.”
All 10 experts at ESPN see the Chiefs winning: Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Mike Golic, Louis Riddick, Jason Reid, Trey Wingo, Mina Kimes, Seth Wickersham, Dan Graziano and Kevin Seifert.
The Chiefs were the pick for both Mike Florio and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Smith sees a 27-17 final. This is what he wrote: “The Chiefs have already wrapped up the AFC West but are still playing to earn a first-round playoff bye. The Bears are out of the playoffs. Florio predicted a 28-13 score and wrote: “Andy Reid knows how to coach against his former assistants, and Matt Nagy is the latest branch of the Reid coaching tree who is about to get spanked.”
All eight Pro Football Focus experts picked the Chiefs: Neil Hornsby, Bruce Gradkowski, Jeff Ratcliffe, Solomon Wilcots, Sam Monson, Nathan Jahnke, Austin Gayle and Steve Palazzolo.
All eight SB Nation experts went with the Chiefs: Christian D’Andrea, Sarah Hardy, Morgan Moriarty, Geoff Schwartz, Adam Stites, Stephen White, James Brady and Cyril Penn.
Each of the six Sports Illustrated Monday Morning Quarterback writers picked the Chiefs: Kayln Kahler, Mitch Goldich, Andrew Brandt, Bette Marston, Connor Orr and Jenny Vrentas.
The seven experts from USA Today picked the Chiefs: Jarrett Bell (30-24 final score), Nate Davis (23-20), Jori Epstein (23-13), Mike Jones (34-20), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (28-16), Lorenzo Reyes (29-17), and Tom Schad (28-17).
