KC Chiefs Schedule 2023: Game-by-game predictions for upcoming season
By Matt Conner
WEEK 12, Nov. 26 (Sunday) – @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have struggled to come up with victories against the Chiefs in recent years, but there is a solid history of close games between the AFC West rivals in recent years and it seems safe to count on at least one serious scare per season by Las Vegas. Last year, they had the Chiefs on the ropes with a 20-7 lead in the third quarter after dominating the trenches through the first half of the game. Of course, Travis Kelce caught four touchdown passes to rally the Chiefs back for the win, but the Raiders at least felt a sense of accomplishment for much of the game. There’s also the old “victory lap” game from a few seasons ago to prove the Raiders can play tough at times.
Josh Jacobs is back for another year in Las Vegas after getting tagged and that was a good move for a Raiders franchise that needs him to move the chains. The Raiders traded away Darren Waller and replaced him with Michael Mayer, Austin Hooper, and O.J. Howard. It should be interesting to see how that depth chart shakes out. Jakobi Meyers is also reunited with Josh McDaniels in free agency and he’s a solid receiver to go with Hunter Renfrow and Davante Adams. If that sounds like some solid firepower, it is.
That said, the Raiders were in the bottom five NFL defenses in yards allowed and bottom seven in points allowed and their offseason plan really didn’t do much to aid that process. The drafting of Tyree Wilson is a considerable risk. Signing Marcus Epps from the Eagles was a solid decision, but losing Denzel Perryman hurt the unit. The Raiders should have served up the money to grab Drue Tranquilll because he would have been an ideal defender in the heart of their defense, but the Chiefs will appreciate his talents instead.
Prediction: Chiefs 26, Raiders 21
WEEK 13, Dec. 3 (Sunday) – @ Green Bay Packers
This could be the most lopsided win of the Kansas City Chiefs season. Having said that, no one should be laughing at Green Bay.
The Packers were in an awkward position as a franchise this spring with the drama surrounding Aaron Rodgers and his desire to leave town. How can a team replace a Hall of Fame who won an MVP award as recently as 2021? Despite having no leverage in a deal with the Jets, they still turned their franchise QB into two solid draft picks and will now introduce the Jordan Love era to the NFL with the same hopes as the Favre and Rodgers eras before him.
To help Love, the Packers went all-in on the skill positions in the draft and it should be fun to watch this offense grow together. Christian Watson is the real deal and Jayden Reed should be a sleeper wideout to watch in this year’s draft class. Grabbing the one-two punch of tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft was also a smart decision by Green Bay’s front office given that the offensive efficiency of the entire unit will climb much higher with those options in the passing game. Love will certainly appreciate the outlets.
Look, the Packers have a long, long way to go and this game shouldn’t be all that close, but Jordan Love should be markedly better than the last time he faced the Chiefs. At least this time, we’re pretty sure his mom will have better tickets.
Prediction: Chiefs 21, Packers 7