Best prop bets for Rams vs Chiefs in Week 12

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Isiah Pacheco #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the ball during the first quarter in the game against the Los Angles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Isiah Pacheco #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the ball during the first quarter in the game against the Los Angles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Let’s look at the best prop bets for the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare to face off in Week 12.

The looming game between the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t shaping up to be anything like anyone could have predicted coming into the season. Instead of two Super Bowl contenders, it’s one such contender against another team that resembles a sad shell of the roster that lifted the Lombardi less than one year ago.

This is also what makes this such a captivating game for sports bettors. The Rams opened the week as 14.5-point underdogs and all kinds of prop bets make this one very interesting. With Matthew Stafford out, will the Chiefs just absolutely roll at home to keep the lead in the AFC playoff race? Will this serve as a trap game? Can Sean McVay keep his players from laying a total egg on the road?

Let’s look at our favorite prop bets given the matchups and injuries in play.

1. JuJu Smith-Schuster – Receptions – UNDER 5.5 (-160)

The Chiefs will watch JuJu Smith-Schuster suit up on Sunday and they’ll certainly be glad to have him back on the field after missing a game-plus with time spent in the team’s concussion protocol. But here’s the thing: the Chiefs have zero real reasons to play him other than keeping him in game form and we’re not even sure how important that is.

Given the Chiefs’ depth, it makes more sense for them to insert JuJu Smith-Schuster into the game with some sort of snap count in mind. He can get a touch or two. He can feel better about the mental side of things. But there’s no need to press things. Getting six or more catches just feels like leaving him in there a bit too long when so many others could eat those targets.

2. Patrick Mahomes – Passing yards – OVER 287.5 (-115)

This total is very low and smart bettors should know it.

Mahomes has been averaging almost 100 yards more than this for the last six games at 374 yards/game. He’s a man on fire under center for the Chiefs, and the Rams lack the depth of talent in the secondary to be able to slow the wide array of weapons that K.C. has developed at this point. Even if Jalen Ramsey can come up big on the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster or they double Travis Kelce, there’s just no real way to slow Mahomes down when he gets into a groove.

Now it needs to be said that the Chiefs are expected to roll here. If that’s the case, it’s possible the biggest threat to Mahomes’ yardage mark here would be if he was benched for the sake of rest. But that’s overthinking things. Every bet is a risk and keeping things straightforward and simple is the fastest path to good money.

3. Isiah Pacheco – Rushing Yards – OVER 64.5 (-120)

Over the last two games, the Chiefs have settled into a new tandem of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon as the primary one-two punch out of the backfield, forgoing a former three-headed rotation that often felt clumsy and crowded as no single player ever had the chance to get going with any real momentum. The forecast remained cloudy until the team made some tough decisions, one that meant Clyde Edwards-Helaire was largely sitting on the bench.

Through those two games, Pacheco has been a beast and has generated 82 and then 107 rushing yards in successive games on only 15-16 rushes per game. That’s a total he’s likely to continue to receive and perhaps even more so knowing that Edwards-Helaire is now on injured reserve.

While the Chiefs might give Ronald Jones his first reps of the season on Sunday, Pacheco should still earn more than enough carries to seal this over for a nice result for Chiefs fans who know what Pacheco is turning into.

Schedule