Here is who national experts predict will win Kansas City Chiefs-Green Bay Packers game
While Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers won’t be there Sunday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be joined by another State Farm pitchman at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jake from State Farm will be in attendance, but the executives for the insurance company have to be wondering if their two commercial admen will ever meet in a game. It has nearly happened four times.
The Packers reached the NFC Championship in the previous two seasons and would have faced the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Mahomes was injured in 2019 and missed the Chiefs’ game against Rodgers and Green Bay.
Does Rodgers’ absence guarantee a Chiefs win? Here is what 64 NFL media members are saying about the game, which kicks off at 3:25 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox (Ch. 4).
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from both Pro Football Talk writers. Mike Florio sees a 30-20 score. He wrote: “The Packers get a glimpse of life without Aaron Rodgers. The Chiefs get an early Christmas gift.” Michael David Smith predicted a 27-14 final.He wrote: “I was actually going to pick the Chiefs even before Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, but now it’s an easier pick.”
A 31-20 Chiefs win is the call from Yardbarker’s Chris Mueller. This is an excerpt from his story: “Are the Chiefs just victims of bad luck, or do their offensive problems run deeper? Patrick Mahomes’ lackluster game against the Giants suggests that Kansas City has issues that won’t just work themselves out over the course of a larger sample size. The Chiefs struggled to generate explosive plays against New York, going most of the game without one of at least 20 yards. Mahomes and Andy Reid need to figure something out because it’s not like Kansas City’s defense is going to rise up and help out.”
A 27-26 Packers win is the prediction from Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. This is part of what he wrote: “Kansas City’s a heavy favorite against a team that could/should get Davante Adams, David Bakhtiari and Allen Lazard back in the lineup. Jordan Love showed off his talent in the preseason, and his Week 1 cameo is enough to believe that ever-resourceful Matt LaFleur is a strong pick to cover that number. I believe the Packers can win outright because of their stout running game. Plus, I’m here for the chaos that would ensue after.”
A 31-22 Chiefs victory is the prediction from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. Here is a snippet from his story: “Without Rodgers, the Packers will have to rely on their defense. Green Bay has found a way through injuries to put together a top-10 unit that will press Mahomes into a few bad decisions. Love, meanwhile, will at least have the first-string receivers back.”
The Chiefs were the pick from the eight of nine Athletic writers: Michael-Shawn Dugar, Chris Burke, Tashan Reed, Katherine Terrell, Jay Morrison, Ted Nguyen, Ben Standig and Nick Kosmider. Picking Green Bay is Mark Kaboly. This is an excerpt from the Athletic story: “Yes, the Chiefs got back to .500 last week. But their 20-17 win over the Giants was more of a successful escape than a corner being turned. Patrick Mahomes threw his league-leading 10th interception and would’ve had No. 11 if not for a defensive offside in the fourth quarter. Kansas City also committed 12 penalties for 103 yards. This combination was barely enough to beat New York. It won’t get the Chiefs far against the Packers or really any playoff team. And in case you’re still remotely considering Kansas City here, it’s now 2-6 against the spread.”
The Chiefs will win, say each of the eight CBS Sports writers: Pete Prisco, Jason La Canfora, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, John Breech, Ryan Wilson, Will Brinson and Jared Dubin. Prisco sees a 24-23 final score. This is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs aren’t good on defense and their offense has struggled. So even with Jordan Love at quarterback, the Packers will hang around.”
Ten of 11 pundits at ESPN believe the Chiefs will win: Emmanuel Acho, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Domonique Foxworth, Laura Rutledge, Dan Graziano, Rob Ninkovich, Kevin Seifert, Seth Wickersham and Damien Woody.The pick for Green Bay: Jeremy Fowler.
Six of seven writers at USA Today picked the Chiefs: Jarrett Bell (a 34-20 final score), Nate Davis (27-23), Jori Epstein (31-20), Mike Jones (30-21), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (30-21) and Lorenzo Reyes (23-19). Going with the Packers is Mike Freeman (35-21).
The Chiefs will win, say the four Athlon Sports writers: Rob Doster, Bryan Fischer, Ben Weinrib and Aaron Wilson.
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from Audacy’s five writers: John Healy, Jordan Cohn, Jesse Pantuosco, Tim Kelly and Dan Mennella.
A Chiefs win is the prediction from the five Sports Illustrated writers: Conor Orr, Gary Grammling, Jenny Vrentas, Albert Breer and Mitch Goldich.
Seven of the 10 members of the Dallas Morning-News see the Chiefs prevailing: Tim Cowlishaw, Newy Scruggs, Craig Miller, Michael Gehlken, Calvin Watkins, Kevin Sherrington and Damon Marx. Picking the Packers: Dana Larson, Jean-Jacques Taylor and David Moore.
