Week 9 concludes with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs battling it out on “Monday Night Football.” Come chat with us in our open thread.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) will close out Week 9 with a cross-conference battle on “Monday Night Football.” These two teams have met just 15 times in their histories, with the regular season tied 7-7—though the Chiefs have won the last two meetings—and the Buccaneers winning their only post-season matchup.
The Buccaneers looked like their offense was going to struggle after Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin was lost for the season and Mike Evans landed on injured reserve, but they managed to put up 26 points last week, albeit in a loss to division-rival Atlanta Falcons. Baker Mayfield is playing the best football of his career, and while he will throw some picks, the Bucs will take it as they need him to gamble to continue to produce at this volume.
The Chiefs have been winning despite some struggles on offense, but last week, they found their stride against division-rival Las Vega Raiders. Both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce got on track last week, and they’ll have a chance to do it again, against a Bucs defense that has struggled to defend tight ends.
Betting line and pick for the game
Unsurprisingly, the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Kansas City in this game and have opened the betting line at Chiefs -9.5 points.
If the Bucs had Godwin and Evans, this would be an extremely fun matchup to watch, and while Baker may still have some magic left in his arm, he has an incredibly tough battle to try and deliver the Chiefs their first loss on the season. So while I think the Chiefs win, this is a bigger betting line than I’m comfortable with.
Prediction: Chiefs 24-20
Here’s how to watch tonight’s “Monday Night Football” game:
Buccaneers at Chiefs
Date: Monday, November 4, 2024
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
TV: ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
ESPN Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters (field reporter)
ESPN 2: The Manningcast
Online Streaming: ESPN+, ESPN APP, NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube, NFL+ Premium
Manningcast guest list includes former Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the first half, followed by celebrity Jason Sudeikis (who played Ted Lasso) and “Sunday Night Football” host Maria Taylor.
Tonight. 8:13pm ET. ESPN2. pic.twitter.com/o1cvtcdf9u
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) November 4, 2024
Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments.
