Pats at Arrowhead for Monday Night Football

A pair of playoff teams from last year will battle it out on Monday Night Football to close out Week 4 of the NFL regular season when the New England Patriots face the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Bovada has listed New England as a 2.5-point road favorite on its NFL betting odds and the total has been set at 46.5 points.

The Patriots are off to a 2-1 straight-up start but last Sunday they failed to cover against the spread as 13.5-point home favorites in a listless 16-9 victory over Oakland. After losing to Miami 33-20 on opening day as 3.5-point road favorites there is some cause for concern heading into this game. The total went OVER the closing 47.5-point line against the Dolphins, but it had stayed UNDER in their last two games.

The normally potent New England offense has sputtered out of the gate with an average of 22 points per game and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady has completed less than 60 percent of his throws. The Patriots’ defense actually ranks near the top of the league in both yards and points allowed. The Patriots are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a SU win and the total has gone OVER in five of their last six games against a team with a losing record.

Kansas City stunned the football world last season by winning its first nine games SU with new head coach Andy Reid at the helm. It has been rocky at best so far in his second season with losses to Tennessee and Denver in the first two games. The Chiefs snapped that skid last Sunday with a solid 34-15 victory over Miami as 5.5-point underdogs on the road. They are now 2-1 ATS with the total staying UNDER in two of the three games. One of the biggest issues with Kansas City has been on the defensive side of the ball.

This unit has struggled to stop the run and it is ranked 19th in the NFL in total yards allowed. Quarterback Alex Smith sparked the offense last week against Miami, but overall it is tied for 24th in the league in total yards gained.

The Chiefs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a SU winning record and the total has stayed UNDER in their last five Monday night games. New England has lost four of its last five games in Kansas City, but the Patriots hold a 6-2 edge ATS in the last eight meetings overall.