Totally unexpected play. The Chiefs offense has been a shell of itself. Kansas City can’t cover large spreads (0-4-1 as a favorite of 6.5+ points). Carolina is at home having won consecutive games going into its bye. So … what the hell are we doing?! Well, this is a paradigm of a get-right game for a team like the Chiefs to kick start their run to the playoffs. The defense has struggled against top-tier quarterbacks, but that’s not Bryce Young. It’s the offense that has been more of a concern. The Panthers have suffered five straight double-digit losses against quality opponents, and their best offensive attribute, a decent running game, goes up against the NFL’s third-ranked run defense. Really wanted -10 but will take -10.5.

Following their first loss of the season, this is an ideal get-right spot for the Chiefs. Barring a letdown, they should conquer a Carolina club that has shown signs of progress but is a poor candidate to hang with Kansas City for four quarters.

The Chiefs are not a margin team. Indeed, easy Kansas City wins are hard to locate. To wit: this season, only once have the Chiefs extended a margin beyond this 11 points, and that was a 26-13 win over a then-slumping New Orleans team in the midst of a seven-game skid. As it was, even that was a three-point game in the fourth quarter. Carolina has been a different cat in recent weeks, with Bryce Young making the most of his second chance at QB this season and leading the team to back-to-back wins over the Saints and Giants. It's the Chiefs' pattern to play them close, however, that illuminates a preference for the Panthers.

The Bills took him away last week, and forced Patrick Mahomes to find other TEs I don't see the Panthers linebackers and safeties being nearly that effective. Carolina has allowed 7 TDs to TEs, and a ridiculous passer rating of 132.1 (30th) despite teams throwing the ball deep (8.9/reception, 28th). Kelce ended a long drought with TDs in 2 of the last 43 games prior to the Bills game. This is a lot of value for someone with a historic scoring connection with his QB. Panthers defense has been a joke most of the season. I see Mahomes getting Taylor's boyfriend going again here and feeding him in the redzone.

Quietly, the Kansas City offense seems to be on the upswing. Mahomes is finding the end zone and they have played two good defenses (Denver and @Buff) . Carolina should be a much easier opponent and Mahomes should roll