Vikings vs. Chiefs: Would a loss cause major panic in Kansas City?
If the Kansas City Chiefs fall at home to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon, will there be a reason to panic in Chiefs Kingdom?
Listen to “NFL midseason awards, PLUS: Are the 49ers and Patriots really unbeatable?” on Spreaker.
The Kansas City Chiefs have serious Super Bowl aspirations this year. They have one of the best quarterbacks in football in Patrick Mahomes and look to be one of the better teams in a weak AFC in 2019. That being said, the Chiefs are only 5-3 on the year and face tough competition in the form of the Minnesota Vikings this week. What happens if they fall at home in Arrowhead Sunday?
On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Mark Carman, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, look at the latest challenge for the Chiefs, as they host the 6-2 Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Week 9 (23:15).
“Yeah, you’re going to get New England and Kansas City [in the AFC Championship Game],” said Verderame. “And I’m going to preface this by saying, I think Kansas City is going to lose to Minnesota and be 5-4 and there’s going to be a full-on panic. Then, I think they’re going to lose one regular-season game the rest of the year.”
Verderame expects that Mahomes will be back from his dislocated kneecap shortly after the Vikings game and Kansas City should be just fine to go something like 11-5 or 10-6 this year. If you can read between the lines, the other game he’s probably referring to as a loss would be on the road against the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Dec. 8. That’s a tough game for sure.
At potentially 5-4, yes, there could be some faction of Chiefs Kingdom panicking. That could cost the Chiefs a first-round bye maybe in the AFC playoff picture, but Kansas City should be in good shape to still win its division to win multiple playoff games and face presumably New England in Foxborough for a second time this year, only this time for the right to go to Super Bowl LIV.
Minnesota has played very well of late, as quarterback Kirk Cousins has played up to his lofty contract in recent weeks. The Vikings are one of the better teams in the NFC and should give the Chiefs a great game on Sunday afternoon. Kansas City may end up losing to the Vikings on Sunday, but let’s pump the brakes on a full-blown panic at 5-4. Let’s see how this one plays out.
Here are a few other topics that were discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box?
- Geoff: Lamar Jackson fanboys are going to get a reality check – 9:00
- Patriots vs. Chiefs is the AFCCG – 23:00
- Super Bowl predictions – 26:02
- Ravens-Patriots is the best game of the week – 46:10
All this and more!
Subscribe to Stacking The Box and follow Geoff Schwartz, Matt Verderame and Mark Carman on Twitter.