Here predictions for Week 15’s matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the New Orleans Saints:
The long-awaited matchup is finally closing in; the best team in the AFC in the Kansas City Chiefs are facing off against one of the best teams in the NFC in the New Orleans Saints. We could be watching a preview of the future Super Bowl LV matchup, so this is revving up to be one of the most highly anticipated games we’ve seen in a long while.
The Chiefs are coming off a close, yet ugly win to the Miami Dolphins and the Saints are coming off a heartbreaking, upset loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Both quarterbacks are eager to set the record straight. Patrick Mahomes II is trying to prove that he is the undisputed MVP of the season while holding the #1 seed in the AFC; on the other hand, Taysom Hill is trying to prove that he’s a serviceable quarterback that could guide the Saints back to the #1 seed in the NFC. With that said, let’s look at some predictions for Sunday’s 4:25 est headliner:
Patrick Mahomes throws for 350+ yards again and has three or more touchdowns
Last week, Mahomes had arguably one of the worst games of his 2020 campaign; however, this will change on Sunday as he rips the Saints’ defense for 350 yards and three or more touchdowns. The Saints do have a spectacular pass defense, allowing three passing touchdowns in the past five games and permitting around 209 passing yards per game (4th in the league), but they haven’t faced the caliber of QB that Mahomes is and the streak he’s on is record-breaking.
Mahomes has been on the hunt these past six weeks, throwing for 2,309 yards (NFL record) and 17 touchdowns (4.25 touchdown-to-interception rate) and averaging around a 70% completion percentage. In these past six games, he’s thrown for over 350 yards four out of six games, and once against the Raiders, he was only two yards short of 350. In that sense, 350 yards against the Saints isn’t too hard to fathom. On the touchdown case, Mahomes will have Kelce and Hill to throw it towards along with Watkins and Helaire who has seen a lot of passing catching action lately (five catches for 59 yards last week). Three or more touchdowns aren’t tough to predict on either.
Travis Kelce will have 125+ receiving yards
To say Kelce is having a great year is mindboggling as he’s having a record-breaking one! He’s on pace to set the single-season receiving yard record for tight ends that were previously set by George Kittle in 2018, and a record Kelce held for only a few hours; to add on, he has a shot to be the leader of receiving yards for the entire NFL by the end of the regular season. No tight end has ever done that before! Just take a look at his last six games to see how he’s playing:
Along with these insane six games, he has had 125+ yards in four of the last six games and has eclipsed 100 yards in five of the last six. He has also had two straight games of eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. 125 yards doesn’t seem too crazy when you look at the numbers he’s having, but remember, the Saints still have a top-five passing defense. It will be a challenge, but the best tight end in the league will prevail when it’s all said and done.
Tyrann Mathieu has another interception this week
The Honey Badger is on a roll these past couple of weeks as he had an interception in three straight games and four interceptions in that stretch. He is also allowing a 66.8 quarterback rating in his vicinity, which is impressive in itself! Hill is throwing it deep, averaging at 7.7 yards per attempt this season, but if Hill throws it in Mathieu’s area, expect an interception to unfold. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Mathieu run down to the end zone and snap a team pic with the defense once it does.
Bizarre (Bold) Prediction: The Chiefs’ defense holds the Saints to just 13 points
Taysom Hill has been a decent quarterback so far with 920 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions; however, the Chiefs’ pass defense is a tough one to deal with as they allow a 62.4% completion rating (4th best), an 84.2 quarterback rating (4th best) and they’ve intercepted the quarterback six times in the last five games. Ward, Mathieu, Sneed, and others in that secondary will make Hill’s life a living nightmare.
Talking about nightmares, we can’t forget about our defensive line that is improving week by week. Chris Jones is as disruptive as ever, Tershawn Wharton has been popping off as of late and is doing an amazing job at pressuring the quarterback, and Mike Danna is improving as well (he had four combined tackles along with a sack last week). They will give that Saints’ offense a run for their money, yet I’m not too high on the Chiefs’ run defense still.
While they had a great game against the Dolphins as their leading rusher had 35 yards, three of their starters were out. The Saints have the two-headed dragon of Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray in the backfield, so it’ll be a rough day for them. That’s how I predict them to score by plunging through the Chiefs’ first and second levels to have gargantuan gains. With that out of the way, here’s my score prediction (excluding my bizarre prediction score):
Chiefs 31 – Saints 24
The Chiefs’ offense will explode against a commanding Saints’ defense, and the defense will be able to control Hill, Kamara, Thomas, and everyone else on the Saints’ offense to secure the win. This is an exciting game that fans from all teams will enjoy!
What are your predictions for this week heading into Sunday’s game? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion. Thanks for reading, and have an outstanding day!
