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The Kansas City Chiefs are locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC heading into the playoffs, which means it’s Patrick Mahomes time in Week 17 of the regular season. The rookie first-round pick has been sitting on the bench as an understudy all year behind Alex Smith. Since the game doesn’t matter, he will get his chance against the Denver Broncos.
While Denver has a poor record, its defense is stout, and this should be an interesting matchup. The Broncos have won two of their past three games and get this one at home, so they should have a chance to end the season on a high note even though it didn’t go as planned overall.
Watch this regular season Week 17 matchup live on Sunday, December 31, 2017, at 425 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas City Chiefs +3
Denver Broncos -3
Over/Under 37.5
Odds Analysis
The Chiefs have the superior record but are underdogs because Smith isn’t playing. The Broncos need to win by more than a field goal to cover, but the betting public believes the line is too high as the Chiefs are getting 58 percent of the action to cover the spread.
The scoring total is quite low because of the quarterback issues on both sides. The “under” is still the more popular choice.
The Chiefs are +148 underdogs on the moneyline, while Denver is listed as the -171 favorite.
Injury Report
Emmanuel Sanders — The Denver wide receiver is dealing with a sore ankle and his status for this game is in doubt. Sanders is a solid wide receiver but has not put up big numbers this season because of shaky quarterback play. He would like to have a nice finale but we will see if Sanders can play.
Tamba Hali — The former standout is more of a part-time player now and he has been dealing with sore knees this season as he is late in his career. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chiefs choose to rest him in this game so that he can be ready to go in the postseason, if needed.
Bennie Logan — The Chiefs defensive lineman missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. It’s unclear if he will be ready to play in this game. Once again, the team could err on the side of caution since the team is already locked in to the No. 4 seed.
Player to Watch
Patrick Mahomes — The Chiefs’ rookie quarterback will get his first career start on Sunday against Denver. Mahomes will get in some valuable reps with the offense. In four preseason games, the 22-year-old completed 34-of-54 passes for four touchdowns.
He was the No. 10 pick in the 2017 draft after an impressive career at Texas Tech so many NFL fans will be eager to see how he does in this game. The Broncos have given up a lot of points this season, but that hasn’t been the fault of the defense, as the offense has often left it in unenviable positions. Denver will be licking its chops to give Mahomes trouble.
Free ATS Pick
This prediction depends on the level of belief in Mahomes. Here’s thinking he will thrive in this one. The Broncos have a good defense but they might not be too motivated. Meanwhile, this is the equivalent to the Super Bowl for Mahomes since it will be his only time on the field this year, and that’s a big deal.
Take the Chiefs to not only cover the spread but to win this game outright. Kansas City is the right call on the moneyline. The “over” is the call as Kansas City will score enough to push it past the points total.
NFL Odds: Chiefs 21, Broncos 19
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