Even a “down” year for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs resulted in an AFC Championship Game appearance. Now, they’ll try to get back to the Super Bowl in a conference that’s gotten even stronger. The Arizona Cardinals earned a playoff appearance in 2021, as well, but their offseason revamp didn’t inspire as much confidence as Kansas City’s.
Let’s examine the matchups in Sunday’s Chiefs vs. Cardinals game, the key injuries, and a Week 1 prediction from our NFL staff.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals preview
Mahomes remains the best quarterback in the game, and any team with him under center is an instant contender. While he won’t have his longtime WR1 after the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, Mahomes still has age-defying Travis Kelce at tight end. At receiver, Kansas City went with a volume-based approach, adding JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore to incumbent Mecole Hardman in a new-look receiving corps.
The Chiefs’ offense shouldn’t be a problem, but the club’s defense needs to take a step forward. With that in mind, KC used five of its top six 2022 draft picks on defensive players, many of whom will play an immediate role. Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis should be instant starters on a unit that also includes Chris Jones at defensive tackle and free agent addition Justin Reid at safety.
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The Cardinals have improved every year under Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure, but it doesn’t feel like the team made meaningful progress this offseason. Arizona extended Kyler Murray through 2028, but even that good news was overwhelmed by the inclusion of a since-removed “independent study” clause that was embarrassing both for Murray and the club.
Aside from acquiring 25-year-old WR Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens, the Cardinals mostly stood pat. They re-signed veterans like James Conner, Zach Ertz, and A.J. Green to buoy a roster that was among the oldest in the NFL last year.
How to watch
- Date/Time
Sunday, Sept. 11, 4:25 p.m. ET - Channel
FOX - Live Stream
CBS All-Access, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV
Matchup and stats
The Chiefs and Cardinals don’t have much prior history, as they’ve only faced each other 13 times since 1970. Kansas City holds a decided 9-3-1 advantage, and the Chiefs won the last game between these two teams. In his first season as the club’s full-time starter, Mahomes led KC to a 26-14 victory over the Josh Rosen-led Cards.
Last season, the Chiefs’ season ended with a frustrating overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game, a contest in which they at point led 21-3. Meanwhile, the Cardinals sputtered down the stretch, losing four of their final five regular-season games before getting trounced by the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.
Kansas City Chiefs 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 28.2 (fourth)
- Yards: 396.8 (third)
- Yards per play: 6.0 (fifth)
- Passing: 281.8 (fourth)
- Rushing: 115.0 (16th)
- Defensive scoring: 21.4 (eighth)
- Yards allowed: 368.9 (27th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.9 (30th)
- Pass defense: 251.4 (27th)
- Rush defense: 117.6 (21st)
Arizona Cardinals 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 26.4 (11th)
- Yards: 373.6 (eighth)
- Yards per play: 5.6 (15th)
- Passing: 251.5 (10th)
- Rushing: 122.1 (10th)
- Defensive scoring: 21.5 (10th)
- Yards allowed: 329.2 (11th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.4 (18th)
- Pass defense: 214.4 (seventh)
- Rush defense: 114.8 (20th)
Injuries to know
Kansas City Chiefs:
OT Lucas Niang (physically unable to perform)
TE Blake Bell (injured reserve)
WR Justyn Ross (injured reserve)
Arizona Cardinals:
CB Trayvon Mullen(toe, out)
WR Rondale Moore (hamstring, out)
DE J.J. Watt (calf, questionable)
TE Zach Ertz (calf, questionable)
CB Byron Murphy (illness, questionable)
G Justin Pugh (neck, questionable)
QB Colt McCoy (injured reserve)
G Cody Ford (injured reserve)
S Charles Washington (injured reserve)
WR Antoine Wesley (injured reserve)
OT Joshua Miles (injured reserve)
S Tae Daley (injured reserve)
G Marquis Hayes (injured reserve)
CB Antonio Hamilton (non-football injury)
Prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Chiefs -6.5; Chiefs -267, Cardinals +215; O/U 53.5
Adam Beasley’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Cardinals 30, Chiefs 28
Dalton Miller’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Chiefs 30, Cardinals 17
Dallas Robinson’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 0-1 against the spread in 2022
Chiefs 31, Cardinals 23