Before the season, the Kansas City Chiefs were considered one of the hottest candidates to win the Super Bowl. However, the pronounced favourite role has recently taken a considerable crack. The start of the season of the team around quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes went anything but according to plan. Two wins from the first five games mean that they are currently in last place in the AFC West.

The 2019 champions will be under pressure next Sunday. The away game in the capital should be won at all costs in order to nip the slowly emerging panic in the state of Missouri in the bud. If we believe the odds before the Washington Football Team vs. Kansas City Chiefs clash, the chances are pretty good that the red and gold will pull off the expected victory.

A prerequisite for that, however, is that Patrick Mahomes allows himself fewer mistakes on offense and that the defense, which has been disastrous so far, gives the team more than it has in recent weeks. In view of the fact that the football team is also struggling with many problems and is extremely susceptible to long passes, it would be very surprising if a forecast for a surprise coup by the home side between Washington and Kansas City were to pay off.

Washington Football Team – Statistics & current form

There’s just no peace and quiet about the Washington football team these days, weeks and months. First it was the ongoing discussions about the long overdue name change, now it is the abuse scandal in the NFL, in which the franchise from the capital holds many shares.

As if all this wasn’t dramatic enough, the decision to honour former player Sean Taylor, who was shot as a hopeful talent now 14 years ago, on Sunday of all days in their own stadium caused much criticism. Even their own fans accused the decision-makers of trying to distract from the scandal. So there’s a fire on every corner in DC.

Weak pass defence becomes sticking point

Sportingly, things are not going according to plan for coach Ron Rivera’s team either. Washington’s only two wins so far have come against the overmatched Giants and the underperforming Atlanta Falcons. The Bills (21:43), the Saints (22:33) and the Chargers (16:20), on the other hand, have all suffered defeats. Two of these three defeats were relatively high and provided enough evidence to bet on a handicap victory for the favourite on Sunday between Washington and the Chiefs.

One of the biggest weaknesses on the football team’s side is undoubtedly the pass defence. Washington is currently only 25th in the rankings, and the cornerbacks have a hard time dealing with speedsters running downfield. Because Tyreek Hill of the Chiefs is probably the best in this field, it threatens to be a long evening for the underdog.

Especially because the pressure on quarterback Taylor Heinicke is growing. This should not really have a positive effect on his performance. He already threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in the previous week. To make matters worse, Gibson (RB) and McLaurin (WR), both offensive playmakers, are threatening to drop out. The omens could hardly be worse – and that in every respect.

Predicted Washington Football Team lineup:
 – QB: Taylor Heinicke
 – RB: Antonio Gibson
 – WR: Terry McLaurin
 – WR: Curtis Samuel
 – TE: Ricky Seals-Jones
 – K: Dustin Hopkins

Kansas City Chiefs – Statistics & Current Form

Without a doubt, the Kansas City Chiefs are the biggest disappointment of the current NFL season so far. Started with huge expectations and at least as big ambitions, the star ensemble from Missouri must currently even seriously fear for the playoff participation. Behind the Chargers, the Broncos and the Raiders, the red and gold are in last place in the AFC West. Three of the five matches so far have been lost.

Experts are not yet one hundred percent in agreement about the reasons for this misery. Many claim that Patrick Mahomes is nowhere near as dominant and focused on the offensive side as he has been in recent years. Others argue with the disastrous defence, which puts up disastrous numbers both against the pass and on the ground. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Mahomes wants to show his critics

The fact is that Mahomes threw exactly as many interceptions in the first five days of play as he did all of last season. The star quarterback is still capable of reading an opposing defence and then dissecting it with his pinpoint passes, though he also has to focus more and more on getting rid of increasing pressure from pass rushers in the pocket due to multiple sacks and QB hits.

So in our eyes, it’s the defence that should cause head coach Andy Reid even more problems. In all categories, the Chiefs defence can be found far behind. Regularly, the 2019 champions allowed the opposition’s respective quarterback to have an outstanding game.

Who’s going to stop Tyreek Hill?

That’s exactly what we have to do now to overcome the sporting crisis and get a must-win on Sunday. Due to the huge difference in quality in the squad and the justified hope that superstar Mahomes will be at his best with his back against the wall, we are confident that the Chiefs, who will have to do without their regular running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, will land their third win of the season.

The aforementioned Tyreek Hill in particular will be unstoppable. He was good for more than 180 yards in each of the two wins, so it could be just as exciting between the football team and the Chiefs to take advantage of the odds on many yards from the speedster.

Predicted Kansas City Chiefs lineup:
 – QB: Patrick Mahomes
 – RB: Darrel Williams
 – WR: Tyreek Hill
 – WR: Mecole Hardman
 – TE: Travis Kelce

 – K: Harrison Butker

Washington Football Team – Kansas City Chiefs Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Nearly 40 years we have to look back in time to find the Washington Football Team’s last win over Kansas City. Because the two franchises are in different Conferences, however, head-to-head duels are extremely rare.

Sunday, for example, will be the first time the Capitals have faced Patrick Mahomes. There’s a lot to be said for predicting the Chiefs to win their eighth straight against their upcoming opponent between Washington and Kansas City.

Washington Football Team – Kansas City ChiefsTip

There is actually always spectacle in matches involving the Kansas City Chiefs. The Super Bowl winner of 2019, for example, is currently only the fifth team since 1940 to score more than 150 points on the first five days of play, while also conceding more than 160 points. It therefore becomes clear relatively quickly that the right balance has not yet been found at the championship contender.

Nevertheless, we assume that the mini-crisis of head coach Andy Reid’s team will come to a temporary end on Sunday (from 19:00 live on Pro7 Maxx). The main reason for this assessment is that the home side has major problems defending against the pass. In particular, the typical long Mahomes passes “downfield” to Tyreek Hill could become the superstar’s most important weapon.

Because it should also be remembered that all three of the Chiefs’ losses have come against teams that have high expectations of their own, it would be presumptuous to write a swansong. Kansas City will bounce back, and likely as early as this weekend against an out-of-form football team that also has a playmaker in Taylor Heinicke who has yet to prove his NFL worthiness over an extended period of time.

Before the Washington Football Team vs. Kansas City Chiefs clash, we have therefore decided to bet that the favourite will win by at least seven points. Incidentally, it would be the eighth consecutive win for the 2019 champions in this pairing. So the franchise from the capital seems to suit the red and gold very well…