The Kansas City Chiefs are once again in the league's primetime spotlight, this time hosting the NFC South's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 on Monday Night Football.
The Chiefs bring their unblemished record into the matchup, doing everything right in the win-loss column as they pursue the elusive three-peat as Super Bowl champions. The Bucs, meanwhile, are 4-4 and sit behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.
Both squads are dealing with their fair share of injuries as the NFL regular season passes the midway point. The Chiefs will be without linebacker Drue Tranquill and defensive end Mike Danna, while star wideout Mike Evans is the most notable Buccaneers player out this Monday.
The Kansas City Chiefs can continue their winning ways on Monday Night Football
Kansas City is expected to have a healthy crowd surrounding GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the primetime matchup. How do our writers predict this interconference clash will play out?
Braden Holecek
The Buccaneers have been a competitive team all year long. But with injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield is faced with greater pressure to succeed. The aspect I am watching for the most is just how complete of a game the Chiefs offense plays. Tampa Bay has given up a lot through the air, ranking poorly in pass defense. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City have a shot to truly put up more points than they have in most contests. Do they actually accomplish that on Monday?
Chiefs 34, Buccaneers 20
Lucas Strozinsky
Without Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, the Chiefs should win this game going away, but it seems like Kansas City has at least one weird home loss every year, especially on primetime. I won't predict a loss here, but it wouldn't shock me if this game was unnecessarily close in this 4th quarter.
Chiefs 23, Buccaneers 16
Patrick Allen
The Chiefs aren't playing well but they are rolling. They'll take on a dangerous but banged-up Bucs team. Tampa has plenty of offensive firepower, perhaps more than any team the Chiefs have played since they took on the Bengals. I expect Deandre Hopkins to play a major factor in sparking the Kansas City passing game. If the Chiefs' defense keeps playing as well as it has been, Kansas City should move to 8-0 on Monday Night Football.
Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 20
Matt Conner
Minus Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it’s hard to see the Bucs being any sort of offensive threat to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense even with current losses and changes in place. The Bucs are well-coached and hold more talent on the roster than the casual fan realizes, but this is at home in a primetime affair.
Chiefs 24, Buccaneers 12
Felix Johnson
The Bucs are straight up a bad matchup. The defense is bad. The offense is hurt. Chiefs win again.
Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 13
Stacy D. Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs return to One Arrowhead Drive for a nationally-televised tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. Fortunately for them, their NFC opponent will hobble in having lost both of their top two receivers Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (torn ACL). Without them, the Chiefs shouldn’t have as much trouble matching up on the outside despite injuries of their own in the cornerbacks room. The forecast calls for rain, so Kareem Hunt will be a key cog in the Kansas City offensive gameplan. Patrick Mahomes plays another efficient game, DeAndre Hopkins scores his first touchdown as a Chiefs, and the good guys keep the streak rolling and win.
Chiefs 24, Buccaneers 17
Shawn O'Brate
The Chiefs have proven nobody is going to run on them, and with Tampa’s depleted receiver core, it’s going to take one or two trick plays or random moments to give Tampa momentum. The Chiefs offense really seems to be clicking even with new pieces like Hopkins still finding their way. Mahomes will likely have another great regular season game against the Bucs but will be overshadowed by the defense forcing multiple turnovers.
Chiefs 31, Buccaneers 23
Jacob Milham
I feel comfortable knowing the Chiefs win at home. The margin is a pickle. They have the better team on paper, but that didn't lead to a blowout victory in Week 8 over the Las Vegas Raiders. A stout defense will help the Chiefs win, but it will not be comfortable.
Chiefs 23, Buccaneers 20