Blowing a chance to clinch a playoff berth by succumbing to the dreadful 49ers last week, the Seattle Seahawks still control their own destiny for a return to the postseason. However, the chore became a little more difficult with a visit from the Kansas City Chiefs on tap Sunday night. And with their loss to the Chargers last week, the Chiefs find themselves tied atop the AFC West after owning the league’s best record for most of the season. There is still work to be done on both sides as the interleague rivals clash in the Pacific Northwest for the first in eight years.
Watch this Week 16 regular season matchup live on Sunday, December 23, 2018, at 8:20 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas City Chiefs -2.5
Seattle Seahawks +2.5
Over/Under 53.5
The Chiefs have been playing so well all season that a recent stretch of two losses in four games has to be a concern. Scoring four touchdowns in a game is a huge accomplishment, but for KC it’s below their standard and the NFL’s 31st ranked defense has been exposed in those defeats. They were able to squeak by in their last two wins, but it’s become evident that if the Chiefs don’t produce a lot of points their odds of losing increase.
And we’ve seen the Chiefs take a dive at the betting window recently, too. They opened the year with seven straight cover wins but have gone just 1-5-1 ATS since. Last week’s loss to the Chargers was particularly frustrating in that they twice had a 14-point lead and when the offense needed to chew up some clock late with a touchdown lead, they went three and out, breathing new life into the Bolts. And they took advantage by scoring a late touchdown and adding the 2-point conversion for the win.
Cutting leading rusher Kareem Hunt a few weeks ago was a severe blow, and the loss of new starter Spencer Ware to injury severely impacted the run game and the offense against the Chargers. Without those two the Chiefs managed just 60 yards on the ground and produced just 294 total yards. The Bolts are good, but they aren’t that good. Ware could return this week, if not Damien Williams get a bulk of the snaps.
Williams ran for 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding six receptions for an additional 74 yards. Even if Ware returns, Williams will likely have an increased role in the offense and will be used much the same way Hunt was before he was let go. Williams is a good bet to go over his projected total yards on a prop bet at BookMaker.eu since that number will likely be low.
And you can’t talk about the Chiefs without mentioning Patrick Mahomes. Even in a subpar game by his lofty standards, the MVP front-runner had a pair of touchdown passes, giving him at least two in nine straight games and 12 games overall, raising his league-leading total to 45. Without throwing a scoring pass in the last two games, Mahomes would still end up as the leader with Andrew Luck 11 touchdown strikes off the pace.
But that’s not going to happen and you can expect Mahomes to keep rolling against a Seahawks secondary that’s allowed 22 scoring passes. Both of Mahomes’ TD passes against the Bolts came in the first quarter lifting the Chiefs to a 14-0 lead. KC has outscored its opponents 130-49 in the first quarter, making them a good choice to cover the betting line and go over their first quarter point total on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
We can’t pass over Seattle’s offense, especially since they are going against one of the worst defensive units in the NFL. Sticking to what they do best, the Seahawks ran for 168 yards against the Niners, though it wasn’t good enough to produce a win. Chris Carson was the workhorse with 119 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown as Seattle improved its league-leading number to 154.9 yards per game. With Carson and Mike Davis doing the heavy-lifting, the Seahawks should be effective running the football and they will win a prop bet for going over the team rushing yard total.
Chiefs at Seahawks Live Betting
Kansas City is expected to have Kendall Fuller back after wrist surgery, Eric Berry will see more snaps, and Chris Jones is having a monster year with 14 sacks. In other words, the Chiefs have some pieces to play defense. Berry returned for the first half last week and KC allowed just seven points. He sat the second half while still recovering and the Chiefs surrendered 22. Seattle will slow things down by running the football and that will lead to this game playing below the total.
NFL Betting Odds
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