Preseason Super Bowl hopefuls currently headed in opposite directions are set to share the “Sunday Night Football” spotlight when the Kansas City Chiefs square off against the New York Jets. The outlook for each team has completely changed in just a few weeks, as evidenced by the Chiefs being installed as near double-digit favorites on the road.
This AFC cross-divisional clash will go down at 8:20 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, with back-to-back wins, have found their stride after an opening loss — while the Jets have dropped two in a row and are desperately searching for answers on offense.
It’s no secret that Zach Wilson — who was criticized by Joe Namath earlier in the week — has struggled since replacing an injured Aaron Rodgers. He’s completed 52.4 percent of his passes with twice as many interceptions (four) as touchdowns (two). But there’s plenty of blame to go around for the Jets’ offensive ineptitude. After a big Week 1 performance (127 rushing yards), Breece Hall has a total of 36 yards from scrimmage in the last two games while Dalvin Cook (2.3 yards per carry) has yet to have much of an impact. The running game and pass protection (Wilson has been sacked eight times already) both need to do their parts, especially with the Chiefs’ high-powered offense on the other sideline.
And Kansas City’s offense is coming off of a masterclass performance, routing the Chicago Bears 41-10 in Week 3. The Chiefs overwhelmed the Bears’ defense and the game was over before the third quarter was through, with Patrick Mahomes throwing three touchdown passes and contributing to a 153-yard effort on the ground. New York’s defense should prove to be a tougher challenge than Chicago’s, but the Jets’ issues on offense put even more pressure on their defense and some cracks have started to form on that side of the ball as well. They surrendered a total of 291 rushing yards in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots and didn’t generate a turnover in either game.
This will be Mahomes’ first-ever start in MetLife Stadium, which may help take some of the attention off of the Jets’ woes (and hey, maybe we’ll see Taylor Swift again!). But it won’t take long for the fans to make their feelings known, or heard in this case, so it will be interesting to see how the team responds.
All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Buy them here.
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(Photo of Patrick Mahomes: David Eulitt / Getty Images)
