The NFL is back for Week 9 of the regular season where two of the better-performing teams will go head-to-head as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have been have had a picture-perfect start to their pursuit of a third consecutive Super Bowl title by going 7-0 so far, while the Buccs are looking to get back to winning ways after going 4-4 after eight games.
We’ll take a look at the game between these two sides and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the field.
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The reigning champions opened up their season with a big clash against the Baltimore Ravens in week 1 and came away with a vital victory, holding off a late fightback to claim a 27-20 win.
Week 2 wasn’t quite as straightforward as they had to rely on the genius of Patrick Mahomes once again to bail them out late on against the Cincinnati Bengals, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to claim a tight 26-25 win thanks to a last-second field goal from Harrison Butker.
In week 3 it was another routine win over the Atlanta Falcons as they won 22-17, with their dominant defense on show, before a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in week 4 saw them only concede points in the first quarter during a 17-10 win.
They followed that up against the New Orleans Saints in week 5 and earned a dominant 26-13 victory, before a bye in week 6. They returned to action in week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers and claimed a routine 28-18 win, before facing off with the Las Vegas Raiders last time out.
Mahomes was excellent once again but it was Xavier Worthy who scored the winning touchdown, while Travis Kelce turned in a fantastic ten receptions and 90 yards in a fantastic 27-20 victory on the road.
The Buccs came into the season with mixed expectations, with some believing they could push for the playoffs and others believing they had too many holes in their roster. But they started the season in excellent form with a big 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders, before another win over the Detroit Lions in week 2.
They suffered their first loss of the season as they fell to the Denver Broncos at home in week 3 in a blowout 7-26 game, before an impressive 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in their next game.
Since then however they have been pretty disappointing and are in a bad slump of form. The Atlanta Falcons claimed a fantastic 36-30 win in overtime in week 5, before a brilliant performance saw them beat the Saints as they scored a season-high 51 points.
But they followed that up with a disappointing 41-31 defeat to the Ravens, before a third loss in four games as they fell to the Falcons again 31-26 in their second meeting against each other.
In what will be a shock to absolutely nobody, the Chiefs are big favorites to get the win on Monday night and rightly so.
They’re undefeated so far, scoring a lot of points and looking strong defensively while they are also in a good place with injuries. They also have the benefit of having the best player in the world at the peak of his powers, in a team that is completely built to his strengths and needs, and he is performing well.
The bookies have gone with a huge 9-point difference on the spread, but the way Kansas City have played this season it seems unlikely they’d be able to win so comfortably in this game against these opponents.
The Buccs are scoring a lot of points themselves, and if they can lull Kansas into going blow-for-blow then they have a chance of causing an upset. But the Chiefs are very smart with the way they approach games, and with a blowout unlikely the moneyline is the better bet.
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The points spread total is a difficult one in this game, but the over seems to have the better value for bettors.
So far this season the Chiefs have scored an average of 24.7 points per game, while they are allowing an average of 17.6 points per game. That means there is a total of 42.3 total points being scored in their games this season, which would fall just short of the total.
However, when you look at the Buccaneers’ totals this season that number rises drastically. So far this season Tampa Bay have scored 29.3 points per game, while defensively they have allowed 26.6 points per game. That means there is an average of 55.9 points per game in a Buccs fixture.
Kansas are likely to pull ahead on the scoreboard and then close up shop with their top defense, but that may come later than usual and there is every chance both teams hit 20+ points in the game. Back the over to come in.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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