Wk 5 Monday Night Football: Saints at Chiefs

It's hard to know exactly what the Chiefs' offense will look like now that they are down WRs Rashee Rice & Hollywood Brown and RB Isiah Pacheco. Are they capable of putting 3+ touchdowns on the board? Are they capable of beating a decent team by 2+ scoring possessions? We will have to wait and see on that. What I am certain of, though, is the quality of Kansas City on the defensive side. And I think their defense will be the key to tonight's contest. The interior of the Saints' offensive line has been hit hard by the injury bug. They are down to third on the depth chart at the center position, and starting right guard Cesar Ruiz will be out. At the tackle position, they are counting on rookie Taliese Fuaga on the left and the inconsistent Trevor Penning on the right. All of this sets up well for KC's Chris Jones to pick his favorite matchup, move all arounf the line of scrimmage, and wreak havoc to disrupt the Saints' plans. I think the Saints will only be able to manage 16 or 17 points in this one. The Chiefs' defense is going to dominate and the home crowd will be behind them. Taysom Hill is another underrated injury absence to the Saints' offense that I've factored in here. Hill is a key aspect of the Saints' red zone offense, so without him in the game, I could see New Orleans failing to convert a red zone opportunity or two, which again would mitigate their potential for points. I envision the Chiefs winning tonight at home playing some old school, physical football, and the Saints' pedestrian offensive performance will leave us wondering how they managed to score 40+ points in each of their first two games.

Pick: Saints to Score Under 18.5 Total Points (-110)

Bonus Pick: Noah Gray Anytime TD Scorer (+400)

Score Prediction: Chiefs 23 Saints 17