Sixty-seven national experts have weighed in on the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons matchup, arriving as the Falcons made a notable roster move by releasing kicker Nick Folk and signing Jake Moody off the Ravens practice squad.
Moody briefly held a record after booting a 55-yard field goal for the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, though Harrison Butker answered in the next quarter with a 57-yard attempt that remains the longest in Super Bowl history. Kickers aside, the analytical consensus across major sports outlets heavily favors Kansas City heading into the noon kickoff broadcast on KCTV (Ch. 5).
Bill Bender of the Sporting News predicts a 28-21 Chiefs win, pointing out that the Falcons have dropped four of their last five games while allowing 373.8 yards per contest over that stretch. That defensive vulnerability sets up an advantageous afternoon for Patrick Mahomes II, who holds a 99.8 passer rating on the road.
The Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi projects a 26-17 victory for Kansas City, noting that Mahomes has a new receiver after the Chiefs acquired Josh Downs, while Atlanta counters with Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL with 880 yards rushing in one more game played than Walker.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio forecasts a 27-17 final score, writing, “The Falcons are capable of winning every game. It’s just impossible to know when that version of the team is going to make an appearance.”
Supporting that cautious view of Atlanta, Dan Parr of NFL.com highlights severe defensive struggles against the run, noting that the Falcons have surrendered a whopping 190 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks alongside 182 rushing yards over expected.
Parr joins Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice, and Bobby Kownack in picking a Chiefs win, while Jeremy Bergman stands alone among NFL.com analysts by taking the Falcons at a 24-20 score. Consensus extends across other major newsrooms, with all six USA Today writers, seven CBS Sports analysts, eight Sports Illustrated staff members, and ten writers from the Dallas Morning News pointing toward a Kansas City triumph.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, projecting a 23-17 game, attributes lingering defensive concerns for Atlanta partly to the trade of safety Jessie Bates following a blowout loss to the Bengals in Madrid.
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