Chiefs vs Vikings: Patrick Mahomes injury lending uncertainty with betting odds
By Joel Wagler
The Kansas City Chiefs look to break a three-game losing streak Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings come calling. Oddsmakers are waiting for word of Patrick Mahomes’ health.
The Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) will try to end a three-game home losing skid when the Minnesota Vikings (6-2). Kansas City is trying to get through a rough stretch of their schedule with many top players still battling injuries.
Things won’t be easy in this matchup, no matter who plays and who doesn’t as the Vikings have the fourth-best record in the NFC. Kickoff is at noon Central on Sunday on Fox, or you can live stream it on FuboTV.
Chiefs vs. Vikings: Betting Odds and Lines
What’s an oddsmaker to do? With so many players’ availability up in the air for the Chiefs on Sunday, this game remains off the boards.
The Action Network has Kansas City as a tentative 1.5 point underdog as of early Friday. This might change if the Chiefs announce the availability of Patrick Mahomes and other key players before kickoff. If the team doesn’t announce until late, this game may remain off the board.
The over and under line is set at 48 for now. Of course, this might change or be unavailable depending on the injury news out of Kansas City. There is too much uncertainty surrounding the health of the Chiefs for there to be a safe bet on this game. Check in with the Action Network for the latest odds and lines as the weekend unfolds.
Chiefs Key Injuries
The injury report looks like a M*A*S*H unit. Not only is Mahomes questionable after practicing on a limited basis, according to NFL.com, but Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, and Dustin Colquitt are too.
The good news is that Chris Jones and Andrew Wylie were both full participants in practice late in the week and look to be ready to go on Sunday. The bad news is Frank Clark, Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff, Alex Okafor, and Eric Fisher still are not practicing, and it would be surprising if any played against the Vikings.
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Vikings Key Injuries
Compared to their opponent, Minnesota is exceptionally healthy. No players sat out practice, and only Adam Thielen has been restricted in his practice time. Chad Graff, who covers the Vikings for the Athletic tweeted that Thielen was still questionable.
Chiefs vs. Vikings: The Weather
Sunday should be a sunny, breezy day at Arrowhead Stadium. Expect temperatures to be in the mid-fifties with a bit of a breeze, according to NFLWeather.com. It sounds like perfect tailgate weather!
Patrick Mahomes: Short-term vs. Long-term
While taking another home loss would not be ideal on a short-term basis, protecting Mahomes and getting him healthy for the stretch run is critical for the Chiefs’ long-term success.
Kansas City is still leading the AFC West by a game and a half going into Sunday, so there is a little cushion for them. The Chiefs are going to be extremely careful with their franchise MVP.
Something else to consider is how beat up the Kansas City offensive line is. Andrew Wylie is returning after missing three games, but Fisher and Duvernay-Tardiff are probably going to sit out this contest. If Mahomes isn’t 100 percent healthy and able to move unrestricted in and out of the pocket, the safest and smartest decision would be to allow him and his linemen to get healthy.
The return of Chris Jones and the absence of Frank Clark could have just as much impact on the defense as Mahomes’ presence has for the offense. Jones is a beast on the inside, and Kansas City will need him to slow down Delvin COok, the NFL’s leading rusher. They’ll miss Clark’s presence in the pass rush, but maybe Jones can apply pressure up the middle to offset Clark sitting out.
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The Kansas City Chiefs have their work cut out for them with or without Mahomes, but if you are looking to bet on this game, good luck finding any takers until Mahomes’ health and availability are established.
No matter what, the game should be competitive as Matt Moore did a laudable job keeping Kansas City in the game against the Packers last week.