The 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Los Angeles to take on the 9-1 Rams in this week’s Monday night contest. Both teams have won four of their past 5 games which included impressive wins last week. The Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks at home by a score of 36-31. They trailed entering the fourth quarter but scored 2 touchdowns and a field goal in the final quarter to secure the victory. The Chiefs easily defeated the Arizona Cardinals at home 26-14. They played without wide receiver Sammy Watkins who had a foot injury. He returned to practice this week and has a good chance at making his return against the Chiefs. This will be just the 5th time since 1970 2 teams with just 1 loss have met this late in the season.
Pat Mahomes continued his MVP type season with a passer rating of 125.4 against the Cardinals. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 249 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. His favorite target was Tyreek Hill who had a monster game. He had 7 catches, which resulted in 117 yards and 2 touchdowns. The team had success running the ball as they gained 118 yards on 23 carries which is an average of over 5 yards per run. For the year, the Chiefs offense ranks second behind the New Orleans Saints with 35.3 points per game. Defensively, they intercepted Josh Rosen twice and sacked him 5 times for a loss of 42 yards. They also did a good job against the run as they allowed the Cardinals to gain 94 yards on 25 carries.
Jared Goff ranks second behind Mahomes for passing yards this season and he had another good game against the Cardinals. He completed 28 of 39 passes for 318 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. His favorite target was Brandin Cooks who had 10 catches for 100 yards. Todd Gurley had a nice game as he rushed for 120 yards and scored a touchdown while also catching 3 passes for another 40 yards. Their offense ranks second in the league with 448 yards per game. Defensively, they were able to sack Russell Wilson 4 times and recovered a fumble. They really struggled against the run as the Seahawks gained 273 yards on 34 carries, which is an average of 8 yards per carry.
The Rams will have home field advantage in this game as it was supposed to be played in Mexico but was moved to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions. They are favored by 3.5 points despite wide receiver Cooper Kupp being out as he tore his ACL last week. He was one of Goff’s favorite targets as he has 6 touchdown receptions this year. They have gone 4-5-1 against the spread this season including 2-2-1 at home. The Chiefs have gone 8-2 against the spread including 5-0 on the road. The return of Sammy Watkins would give the dangerous Mahomes another big weapon. Expect the fans at the L. A. Memorial Coliseum to be ready as these two teams could meet in the Super Bowl
