The Kansas City Chiefs will attempt to snap out of a funk that has them below .500 for the first time since Patrick Mahomes became the team’s starting quarterback when they host the New York Giants in the Week 8 edition of Monday Night Football. The two-time defending AFC champions are mired in a two-game losing streak that has them at the bottom of the AFC West standings, and their issues appear to be much deeper. But it’s nothing a victory can’t solve and the Chiefs are positioned as a 9.5-point favorite on the NFL betting line to end their skid.
This regular season Week 8 matchup will take place on Monday, November 1, 2021 at 8:15 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO and will be televised on ESPN.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Giants +9.5
Kansas City Chiefs -9.5
Total 52.5
Odds Analysis
Look-ahead lines had the Chiefs favored by as many as 14-points at some shops, but recent results brought that number down to under double-digits. Still, KC is laying 9.5-points, which is their largest spread in a game this season. Turnovers and a leaky defense are issues that can be solved and most expect the Chiefs to do just that. Playing as a 4-point road favorite last week they were ambushed 27-3 by Tennessee, losing for the fourth time in six games and falling to 2-5 ATS overall. The Giants are coming off an outright win over Carolina, 25-3, where they were spotted 3-points on the closing line. It was their second victory in four games with two earlier losses by a combined four points. Had those games turned out differently there’d be a much different vibe around this team.
Player to Watch
Without the services of several top offensive threats, the Giants let Daniel Jones take over the game doing a little bit of everything in the win over Carolina. Jones ran the ball, threw a touchdown pass and made a splendid one-handed catch on a gadget play to help the G-men stop a two-game slide. The Giants needed their QB to step up with Saquon Barkely on the shelf and top receivers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard all banged up. With the help of a strong defensive effort, Jones was able to milk enough out of the offense to get a critical victory. Jones completed 23 of 33 pass attempts with a TD strike to Dante Pettis, added to his team-best rushing yard total with 28 and caught a 16-yards pass. He displayed athleticism we’re used to seeing from Buffalo’s Josh Allen and even Mahomes. There’s a good chance Jones can have another big game against a KC defense that ranks near the bottom in yards and points allowed per game.
Key Stat
Look no further than the number of turnovers for why the Chiefs have struggled this season. They lead the NFL in giveaways with 17, five more than Jacksonville, Houston and the Jets, who each have coughed it up 12 times. Those three clubs have a combined record of 3-16 telling us that turnovers are a key stat in the NFL. What’s been really disturbing for the Chiefs and their fans is the play of Mahomes with the football. He leads the NFL with nine interceptions thrown in 277 pass attempts nearly matching his total (11) in 1,072 pass attempts in the previous two seasons combined. He’s also lost a pair fumbles to account for 11 of the team’s turnovers. The Chiefs are tied with Jacksonville with the worst turnover margin in the league at minus-10.
Free ATS Pick
The Chiefs haven’t lost three consecutive games since dropping four in a row during the 2017 season, with one of those losses coming to the Giants. In fact that’s the last time these teams faced each other so the Giants are getting their first look at Mahomes. Two of KC’s three wins have come against NFC East foes Philadelphia and Washington by a combined score of 73-43 with a pair of covers. And while the Chiefs may be down they’re certainly not out. Mahomes passed the concussion protocol after getting smacked around by the Titans last week, which is probably the best news from that fiasco. And he should be ready to go on Monday. However, KC has had a tough time covering the spread over the past few seasons and with the Giants having nothing to lose we can expect Jones and the offense to cut loose keeping them within the lofty spread.
NFL Pick: New York Giants +9.5
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