The Kansas City Chiefs managed to turn in arguably the best game of preseason Week 1 as they fell 26-24 to the New Orleans Saints on a last-second field goal from rookie kicker Blake Grupe.
This week, the Chiefs will try to rebound against an Arizona Cardinals team that beat the Denver Broncos 18-17 in new head coach Jonathan Gannon’s debut, thanks to a touchdown and a two-point conversion with under 10 seconds to go.
While the Cardinals remain without Kyler Murray at the helm, Andy Reid plans to play his starters, including Patrick Mahomes, for the entire first half… which gives the defending Super Bowl winners the clear edge.
Find out where my best bets lie in our NFL picks and predictions for Chiefs vs. Cardinals on Saturday, August 19.
Chiefs vs Cardinals odds
Chiefs vs Cardinals predictions
Looking to repeat as champions, the Chiefs are planning to use the second preseason game as an opportunity to tune up for the regular season and build chemistry ahead of their Sepember. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Reid, long known for running one of the NFL’s most grueling training camps, takes the preseason seriously.
There are still a couple of unknowns with the Chiefs offense, so having Patrick Mahomes out there throwing to a young group of wide receivers can only help the two-time MVP build rapport with his pass catchers; which provides a great opportunity to feel good about Kansas City being 7.5-point favorites.
The enigma that is Kadarius Toney is still recovering from an injury suffered during training camp, meaning last year’s free agent addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling and second-year second-round pick Skyy Moore will be the top two wide receivers on the field.
The field-stretching ability of Valdes-Scantling will always be looming with a quarterback like Mahomes, but it’s Moore who should be providing some juice for the offense.
The Western Michigan product is coming off an up-and-down rookie season, however, his combination of sudden route running and YAC ability could set him up to be the go-to wide receiver in this offense.
Of course, with Travis Kelce creating all kinds of mismatches down the seam, Mahomes should have no trouble leading scoring drives.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs have some interesting depth at receiver in the explosive Richie James, second-round rookie Rashee Rice, and fantasy darling Justyn Ross; heck, even Nikko Remigio, an undrafted rookie out of Fresno State, was making plays last week.
That group, especially when Mahomes is in, should be able to beat up on one of the league’s worst secondaries.
A platoon of Antonio Hamilton Sr., Marco Wilson, and Christian Matthew at cornerback isn’t inspiring much confidence. Arizona’s most encouraging corner might even be Kei’Trel Clark, a sixth-round rookie out of Louisville, with sweet feet and a penchant for big hits.
To make matters harder on the Cardinals, the Chiefs have one of the best offensive lines in football, even with a pair of new tackles. Led by Creed Humphrey, Joe Thuney, and Trey Smith on the interior, those guys pave the way for a deep running back room.
On paper, Arizona has one of the worst pass-rushing groups in football, and there isn’t much depth there either. Even when Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele come in at quarterback for Kansas City, they should have time behind a young, but long and athletic second and third-string offensive line.
Gabbert and Buechele combined to go 15 of 26 for 214 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Saints… not too shabby for a draft bust and an undrafted third-year quarterback.
Obviously, the Chiefs defense will need to hold up their end of the bargain to cover the spread, and they should with the trio of Colt McCoy, Clayton Tune, and David Blough at quarterback in Arizona.
Those three completed 25 of 41 passes against the Broncos with two touchdowns and an interception… worst of all, they averaged under six yards per attempt (5.8).
Tune, a fifth-round pick out of Houston, actually looked the best, keeping plays on time and using his athleticism to navigate a muddy pocket.
Regardless, even without Chris Jones, the Chiefs pass rush should be breathing down those quarterbacks’ necks. Second-year first-round pick George Karlaftis and rookie first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah will be playing with something to prove as they try to earn more playing time.
The poor Cardinals have a strange mix of veteran journeymen and rookies within their first two offensive line units, which is never a good thing when dealing with a front seven as deep as the Chiefs.
My best bet: Chiefs -7.5 (-110 at bet365)
Not intended for use in MA.Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.
