Giants vs. Chiefs Week 8 Picks: Can K.C.’s Offense Get Back On Track?

The Kansas City Chiefs enter their Monday Night Football matchup with just one more win than their opponent, the New York Giants. That is not something many would have predicted seven weeks into the season. Is this the game where the Chiefs finally fix their recent offensive woes, or will the Giants successfully follow the blueprint that other teams have used to slow down the Kansas City offense?

The Giants snapped a two-game losing streak in grand style last week, as their 22-point victory over the Carolina Panthers was their largest home win since 2012.

The Chiefs have lost two of their last three games and back-to-back home games. Kansas City has covered the spread in just five of their seven games.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 8 matchup between the Giants and the Chiefs. (Odds via DraftKings; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Giants vs. Chiefs Game Info

Date/Time: Monday, November 1, 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Weather: 47 degrees, cloudy

Giants vs. Chiefs Odds Analysis

The Chiefs are -9.5-point home favorites, which is the most they have been favored by in their four home games this season. Many books opened at -10, but almost all sportsbooks have moved off that key number at this point.

At most sportsbooks, the Over/Under for this game has teetered back and forth between 52 and 52.5. New York has an O/U record of 3-3-1, while the Over has cashed in four of Kansas City's seven games.

Giants vs. Chiefs Betting Picks

Chiefs -9.5 (-110) ★★★
Over 52 (-110) ★★★

SEE ALSO: Cowboys vs. Vikings Week 8 Picks

Giants vs. Chiefs Predictions

Chiefs -9.5 (-110)

The Chiefs are coming off their worst offensive performance in Andy Reid's nine-year tenure as head coach, as they were held to three total points by the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to have problems taking care of the football, as he has thrown at least one interception in six straight games, and his nine interceptions are tied for the most in the league. However, the problem does not solely lie with Mahomes. The Chiefs have committed 17 total turnovers, tied for the most through seven games by an Andy Reid-coached team.

The Giants rank in the top 10 in takeaways, but they have not exactly faced a murderer's row of quarterbacks. In the consecutive games they faced Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford, New York's defense was gashed for 880 total yards and 82 combined points.

This feels like a game where Mahomes and the Chiefs will get right. However, instead of Mahomes putting up his typical gaudy statistics, look for Kansas City to establish a consistent running game. The Chiefs face a light box 84 percent of the time, as teams dare them to beat them on the ground. The last time Kansas City was victorious (against Washington), they ran the ball 28 times for 109 yards. Look for that to be a big reason they win by double digits on Monday.

Over 52 (-110)

While Kansas City's offense has the appearance of being broken, Mahomes had a total QBR of 70 entering last week, which ranked second in the NFL. In addition, six of Mahomes' nine interceptions have come when under duress. That should not be an issue against a Giants defense that ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks per game.

The Chiefs entered last week's game allowing 6.7 yards per play, which was the worst in the NFL. They followed that up by allowing Tennessee to score on all five of their first-half possessions. That bodes well for New York's chances of scoring points.

SEE ALSO: 3 NFL betting trends to monitor in Week 8 games

Picks made 10/27/2021 at 1:28 p.m. ET

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