Here is who national experts are predicting will win KC Chiefs-Arizona Cardinals game
There was no positive spin to put on the Chiefs’ last competitive game, a 27-24 overtime loss against the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs coughed up an 18-point lead and then had nearly eight months to think about what went wrong.
Finally, they’ll be back in action Sunday when the Chiefs travel to the Grand Canyon State to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona made the playoffs last season, and has a star quarterback in Kyler Murray, who received a $230.5 million contract extension in the offseason.
Who will win Sunday? Here is what 51 national experts are saying about the game, which kicks off at 3:25 p.m. and will be broadcast on KCTV (Ch. 5).
A 33-21 Chiefs win is the prediction from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. He wrote: “The Cardinals drew the short straw. It’s one thing to have the superior quarterback and play-caller in a shootout. It’s another when Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are also buttressed by superior line play on both sides of the ball.”
The eight writers at CBS Sports see the Chiefs prevailing: Pete Prisco, Jason La Canfora, Will Brinson, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg. Prisco predicts a 33-24 Chiefs win. Here is an excerpt of what he wrote: “This should be fun to watch with Patrick Mahomes going against Kyler Murray. It will be interesting to see how Mahomes fares without Tyreek Hill. Here’s a thought: He will be just fine.”
A 34-31 Chiefs win is the call from Yardbarker’s Chris Mueller. This is part of what he wrote: “JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Skyy Moore will try to fill the void left by one of the league’s most dangerous receivers, and Travis Kelce will do his usual thing, provided that the space he always seemed to find wasn’t in part created by Hill’s presence. Arizona and Kyler Murray are ready to get down to football after providing the sports talk world with a contract saga so farcical it seemed like something out of a movie. Murray has talent, no doubt, but it’s obvious that the team has concerns about how much film work he’s put into this point in his career.”
A 33-24 Chiefs victory is the prediction from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. Here is a snippet from his story:”The Patrick Mahomes-Kliff Kingsbury connection is a narrative, but the focus will shift toward Kyler Murray, who was in the headlines for most of the offseason. How will he fare without DeAndre Hopkins? How will Mahomes look without Tyreek Hill?”
The Chiefs will win, says Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith and Mike Florio. Smith sees a 35-20 score. He wrote: “I like the Chiefs to win this one big, with Patrick Mahomes putting on a show and Kyler Murray struggling to keep up.” Florio predicts a 35-24 score. He wrote: “Too many people are sleeping on the Chiefs. Here comes the football world’s first wake-up call.”
A 35-24 Chiefs victory is the prediction from FanSided’s Matt Verderame. He wrote: “The Cardinals have been a soap opera all offseason. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes has heard nothing but bizarre criticism from former teammates and media alike. Not a good combination for Arizona.”
Eight of 10 Athletic writers predicted a Chiefs win: Zack Berman, Tashan Reed, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mark Kaboly, Josh Kendall, Larry Holder, Ben Standig and Austin Mock. Picking Arizona are: Nick Kosminder and Jay Morrison.
All nine of the pundits at ESPN see the Chiefs winning: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Domonique Foxworth, Dan Graziano, Jason Reid, Laura Rutledge and Seth Wickersham.
Each of the seven writers at USA Today think the Chiefs will get the win: Jarrett Bell (34-30 final score), Nate Davis (31-23), Safid Deen (38-28), Tyler Dragon (26-23), Parker Gabriel (34-24), Mike Jones (35-32) and Lorenzo Reyes (27-24).
All five staff writers at Sports Illustrated believe the Chiefs will get the victory: Albert Breer, Mitch Goldich, Gary Grammling, Conor Orr and John Pluym.
All five Audacy writers picked the Chiefs: Tim Kelly, Jesse Pantuosco, Dan Mennella, John Healy and Logan Mullen.
A Chiefs victory is the prediction from B.J. Ruddell of Pro Football Network. Here is part of what he wrote: “I picked the Chiefs to finish last in the AFC West, and I know what most of you are thinking. However, their schedule is brutal, the backfield could be sub-par, Travis Kelce has peaked (or is on a slow decline), and the wideout corps lacks a true No. 1. So which WR will step up for Mahomes? And can Clyde Edwards-Helaire put to rest any questions about the Chiefs’ ability to run the ball in 2022?”
This story was originally published September 11, 2022 at 7:01 AM.
