After an exhausting overtime win on Monday night, we have to wonder just how much the Kansas City Chiefs have left in the tank for Sunday’s Week 13 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The fact that K.C. pulled off the stunner and remains a game behind the Raiders in the AFC West should be enough motivation to keep them playing at a high level. The Falcons are the team being chased in the NFC South and they need a victory to stay ahead of the Bucs. There’s plenty on the line in this inter-conference tilt.
This matchup in Week 13 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, December 4, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Georgia Dome.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas City Chiefs +4
Atlanta Falcons -4
Over/Under 49
Odds Analysis
Kansas City opened as a 4-point dog and has gotten a majority of the early spread wagers. The action has been spread evenly so it’s unlikely we see much movement on the line going forward. The over/under is set high for a Chiefs game, but going against the highest scoring team in the league will do that. K.C. has twice played with a higher total than the opening 49 and both times they cashed the under.
Injury Report
Jeremy Maclin – The loss of Maclin to a groin injury has been tempered by the emergence of Tyreek Hill as the team’s play-making receiver. But Maclin offers more in the passing game. He’s a precise route-runner and has better hands while still having the jets to outrun defenders. The Chiefs won’t rush him back because of Hill’s play, but they will need Maclin down the road.
Desmond Trufant – Atlanta’s defense has been ranked in the bottom third of several categories for most of the season and the unit has been masked by the league’s highest scoring offense. It might be tough to keep the hood on with the team’s most valuable secondary player on the shelf with a shoulder injury.
Player to Watch
We can give the credit for Kansas City’s Sunday night overtime win at Denver to Cairo Santos for banging his game-winning field goal through the uprights. But the real star for the Chiefs was Hill, who emerged as a game-changing player on the biggest stage. Hill was selected in the fifth round of the past draft without much fanfare, and he was penciled in as a kick returner and spot receiver. Hill possesses a valuable commodity for football players at his position and he was drafted because he can run. He’s not the biggest player on the field, which may have stunted his progress in the Chiefs lineup.
But when Maclin went down with an injury a month ago, the Chiefs had no play-making receivers, until Andy Reid called on Hill. Hill accounted for all three touchdowns against the Broncos scoring each one in a different way: he returned a kickoff, ran for a score and had a touchdown catch that led to the game-tying two-point conversion. In three games with Maclin sidelined, Hill has 23 receptions, surpassing his total of 22 from the first eight contests. He needs to be accounted for on the field and the Chiefs have used him as a decoy on numerous occasions to flash a different look at opposing defenses.
Free ATS Pick
This is a terrible spot for the Chiefs and they could be hung out to dry by the Falcons. Kansas City goes back on the road after its thrilling overtime win in Denver and has a home matchup with the AFC West leading Raiders the following week. It’s a prime letdown game for K.C. but with all their veteran leaders, I don’t think it’s going to affect them. After the win over the Broncos, Eric Berry, one of those leaders, made a passionate plea to his teammates to start preparing for the Falcons. And when Berry talks his teammates listen.
Atlanta put its bye week to good use and came out humming against the Cardinals in a big win. The Falcons have unleashed their own version of Tyreek Hill with Taylor Gabriel adding another weapon to an already explosive attack. But the Falcons still have plenty of questions on defense and the loss of Trufant will impact the pass defense. The Chiefs aren’t a passing team, but give Alex Smith the opportunity, he will pick teams apart. Kansas City also has stud linebacker Justin Houston back and he recorded three sacks on Monday. The pressure needs to come on Matt Ryan, but the Chiefs deliver and get a straight up win.
NFL Odds: Chiefs 26, Falcons 23
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