Rams vs Chiefs Prediction & Picks: Will Mahomes inflict more misery on the champs?

Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals spoiled a potential Los Angeles Rams vs Kansas City Chiefs matchup in the Super Bowl by coming back to stun the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

On Sunday, the two teams will finally face off for the first time since their epic Monday Night Football matchup four years ago, as the Rams will visit the Chiefs in NFL Week 12 action.

Nine months after they could have met at Super Bowl LVI, the two teams couldn’t be in more opposite positions.

The reigning Super Bowl champions have lost their last four games and are sitting at the bottom of the NFC West, and they may once again be without Matthew Stafford, who has re-entered the concussion protocol.

Kansas City, meanwhile, has won four straight games since a Week 6 loss to Buffalo and now has the best record in the AFC. Following a thrilling Sunday Night Football win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs hold a three-game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers in the AFC West.

Mahomes and Kelce have done it again!

📺: #KCvsLAC on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/arbJ1PQ30A pic.twitter.com/PxUuwshbn6

— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2022

Will Patrick Mahomes and K.C. move a win closer to a seventh straight division title by securing the SoFi Stadium sharer sweep on Sunday? Try to say that ten times fast while you check out my Rams vs Chiefs prediction and picks below.

Los Angeles Rams vs Kansas City Chiefs Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Los Angeles Rams (3-7, 1-3 away, 4th in the NFC West) vs Kansas City Chiefs (8-2, 4-1 home, 1st in the AFC West)
• Venue & Location: GEHA Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
• Date: Sunday, November 27, 2022
• Game Time: 4:25 pm ET (3:25 pm local time)
• How to Watch Rams vs Chiefs: FOX

Rams vs Chiefs Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at 2:10 pm ET. This article may also mention odds from our other recommended sportsbooks.

Spread

• Los Angeles Rams +14.5 (-110)
• Kansas City Chiefs -14.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 44 (-110)
• Under 44 (-110)

Moneyline

• Los Angeles Rams +700
• Kansas City Chiefs -1100

Can the Champs Be Competitive in Kansas City?

Even if you have been following these two teams throughout this season, it is still a little strange to see the Chiefs favored by two touchdowns over the reigning Super Bowl champions.

That said, where the two teams currently are, the odds are on point.

On Sunday night, the Chiefs moved to 4-0 in primetime games this season with a 30-27 win over the Chargers. All four primetime wins have come in close games, while all four of Kansas City’s non-primetime wins have come by double digits.

Non-Primetime Results for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022

• Arizona (Week 1): beat the Cardinals 44-21
• Tampa Bay (Week 4): beat the Buccaneers 41-31
• San Francisco (Week 7): beat the 49ers 44-23
• Jacksonville (Week 10): beat the Jaguars 27-17

The odds are high that trend will continue come Sunday, even if Stafford is able to play.

After missing the 27-17 loss to the Cardinals in Week 10, Stafford returned for Sunday’s game against the Saints.

But after going 11 of 18 for 159 yards and two touchdowns, he left the game in the second half and was replaced by Bryce Perkins, who led two scoring drives–both field goals–in four drives in the Rams’ 27-20 loss.

Stafford has since re-entered the concussion protocol, and his status for the trip to Kansas City is very much up in the air.

While the Rams are certainly not out of the NFL playoff picture, it’s debatable that Stafford should start even if he exits the protocol, for the sake of exercising maximum caution for the situation.

Besides, it could be a rough day for the champs even if he is able to go. When Stafford exited in New Orleans, the Rams were down 10 and had already given up 24 points a little over midway through the third quarter.

And while they managed more points than they had in the first three losses of their ongoing skid, the fact that they have scored 20+ points just four times all season is quite shocking, to put it mildly.

Last season, the Rams were held below 20 points just twice in 21 regular season and postseason games.

Los Angeles Rams vs Kansas City Chiefs Prediction and Picks

Rams vs Chiefs Prediction: Chiefs to win

Rams vs Chiefs Picks: TBD – limited odds out as of Tuesday, November 22

Even if the Rams do manage to score 20 points on Sunday, which I don’t expect them to do if Stafford doesn’t play, they are unlikely to score enough to challenge the Chiefs, who will be aiming to score 27+ points for the eighth time in 11 games this season.

I persisted with having some faith in the champs to turn things around when things started going downhill, but there’s only one way to go with my Rams vs Chiefs prediction.

As for my picks for the matchup, I’m staying far, far away from the spread and the total. And with limited odds out right now (Tuesday afternoon), there aren’t enough decent betting options to pick from for this game yet.

But the Chiefs will certainly be a part of my NFL teasers this week. Even if the Rams come to play defensively, not being able to generate enough on offense will keep them from being able to get too close to K.C.

Other Rams vs Chiefs Content at Betting News

• Rams vs Chiefs Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

Other NFL Week 12 Content at Betting News

• NFL Week 12 Odds
• NFL Week 12 Picks
• Bills vs Lions Prediction & Picks
• Giants vs Cowboys Prediction & Picks
• Patriots vs Vikings Prediction & Picks
• Packers vs Eagles Prediction & Picks (Week 12 Sunday Night Football)
• Steelers vs Colts Prediction & Picks (Week 12 Monday Night Football)