Buccaneers at Chiefs: Game preview, odds, prediction

The Kansas City Chiefs will look to continue their winning ways on Sunday, as they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Arrowhead Stadium.

The Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off an improbable victory against Carolina last week, will take on one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFC in Week 11. Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will invade Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, which is notorious for being tough on the opposing team. The Chiefs are one of the better teams in the NFL this season but will have to play better than they did in Week 10 if they hope to derail the Bucs.

Last week, the Chiefs trailed the entire game against the Panthers on the road and definitely played their worst football of the season. However, they were able to pull out a miracle victory at the end of the game, and in the process, took over first place in the AFC West. Some believe the Chiefs are the most complete team in the division, but they do have a ton of question marks moving forward.

Tampa Bay comes into town fresh off a thrashing of the Chicago Bears, as they defeated their fellow NFC counterparts, 36-10. The Bucs defense forced Bears quarterback Jay Cutler to make mistake after mistake, and Winston was able to capitalize on the field position. The second-year signal-caller threw for over 300 yards and two scores in the winning effort.

Both teams are well within reach of earning a playoff spot in 2016, and it could be a very intense game in Arrowhead this weekend. If the same Chiefs team that nearly lost to the Panthers last week shows up against Tampa Bay, young Jameis could lead his team to an upset on the road. However, the Chiefs are built for the long run, and they should be back on their ‘A’ game on Sunday afternoon.

Odds

Line: KC (-7.5)

Over/Under: 44.5

Winston is developing into a fine quarterback and has a huge weapon on the outside in Mike Evans. However, Doug Martin is still working his way back from injury, and the run game was non-existent against the Bears this past week. The Chiefs should be able to exploit that, and will put pressure on Winston that he has not seen yet this season.

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The betting line is what it is for a reason, and the Chiefs should roll in this one. Last week was an embarrassment for the team, but they were missing a couple of key pieces to their puzzle. They will likely get Justin Houston back this week, but Jeremy Maclin has yet to return to the field since aggravating his groin. Tyreek Hill played extremely well in Maclin’s absence last week and should be able to find some room to work against the Panthers secondary on Sunday.

Prediction: Chiefs 30, Buccaneers 17