Monday Night Football Patriots vs. Chiefs NFL Picks & Predictions
Cy Anthony Rome
KANSAS CITY, MO (The Spread) - A pair of teams coming off wins in Week 3 will battle on "Monday Night Football" when the Chiefs host the Patriots tonight at 8:30PM ET. Will it be a low-scoring affair in KC?
NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots improved their record to 2-1 thanks to an ugly 16-9 win over the Raiders last Sunday in Foxboro. They're now 1-2 against the spread after failing to cover as a 14-point home favorite, while the under is 2-1 in their three games this season. While they rank 3rd in yards allowed, first in passing, 11th in rushing and fourth in points allowed per game, the offense has struggled this year. Tom Brady has thrown for just 632 yards as the team ranks 27th in passing, while Stevan Ridley has rushed for a team-high 176 yards as the Pats are 22nd in rushing yards. The team is also 15th in points scored and just 26th in total yards per game, averaging 301.3.
KANSAS CITY: The Chiefs won their first game of the season last week in a 34-15 victory over the Dolphins in Miami. They're now 1-2 on the year and 2-1 against the spread, covering as a 5.5-point underdog last week. They rank 24th in total offense, 26th in passing, 13th in rushing and 23 in points scored. They hope to have Jamaal Charles back this week from a high ankle sprain, although Knile Davis has a team-high 214 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The defense has been okay but not great, as it ranks 19th in total defense, 11th in passing, 23rd in rushing and 13th in points allowed per game.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Patriots are 2.5-point favorites over the Chiefs while the over/under total is currently sitting at 45.7 points. New England opened as 3.5-point favorites and that's where the line sits, while the total opened at 46 and was bet up.
NFL FREE PICK: Take the under. According to latest NFL trends, the under is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams and 5-0 in the Chiefs’ last five games on Monday night. The under is also 6-1 in the Chiefs’ last seven games in September, 23-8 in their last 31 home games and 12-4 in their last 16 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points. On the other side, the under is 6-2 in the Patriots’ last eight games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game, 5-2 in their last seven games in September and 5-2 in their last seven games on grass.
2014 NFL WEEK 4 FREE PICK: PATRIOTS/CHIEFS UNDER 47.5