The Chiefs finally lost a game, and here are the left-for-dead Panthers waiting in the weeds to make it two in a row. Yeah, that was even hard to type, though we don’t expect the Chiefs to be super angry about the loss and blow out the Panthers. The Chiefs have not covered the spread in their last four games and likely approach this one as a glorified walkthrough, working running back Isiah Pacheco back into the mix as his returns from a broken leg waits another week. And the Chiefs already rank fifth in time of possession at 32:19, the most in the Patrick Mahomes era.
The Panthers defense has some pride and ranks fifth in opposing passer rating (68.9) and eighth in EPA per dropback (0.04) the last three weeks, and it’s not like Travis Kelce is Brock Bowers or anything. Kelce is putting up career lows in EPA per target (0.12), EPA per reception (0.7), yards per catch (8.2), average yards after the catch (3.2) and touchdowns (two). Take the points.
The pick: Panthers
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