Chiefs vs. Rams: Week 12 Preview and Predictions
The Kansas City Chiefs are riding high following a Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and they're keeping their battles within the LA area for Week 12. On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Rams come into town looking to steal a win on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Rams, 3-7 on the season, have won a Super Bowl and seen their title defense unfold about as poorly as possible all within the same calendar year. A multitude of injuries, as well as some free agent losses and general struggles, have contributed to a very poor 2022 campaign. On the other side of the field, the Chiefs will be looking to secure a win on Sunday and get to 9-2 on the year. Although this is an inter-conference matchup, a Kansas City victory keeps Andy Reid's squad atop the AFC standings.
How will today's game unfold? The Arrowhead Report crew makes their predictions.
Joshua Brisco: The Rams are a lot of things no NFL team wants to be; they’re injured, not very deep, and aging so quickly that you’d assume they drank from the wrong chalice while searching for the Holy Grail. The Chiefs shouldn’t have to play their best game to beat LA convincingly, but if they do, it could get ugly at Arrowhead. Even if the Chiefs struggle at times, it’s hard to see how the Rams hang around for the full 60 minutes.
Prediction: Chiefs 30, Rams 17
Jordan Foote: This is nothing close to the same Rams team that took the field back in February for the Super Bowl, and it shows. Los Angeles has seemingly countless injuries on both sides of the ball and has struggled to put points up all season. That, combined with Bryce Perkins being in line to make his first NFL start, can serve as a perfect storm for a comfortable Chiefs win. I don't expect Kansas City to score a ton in this one and while the Rams may be able to cover, the final box score will still paint the picture of a pretty lopsided contest that seemed out of reach early on.
Prediction: Chiefs 24, Rams 10
Mark Van Sickle: Before the season, no one would have anticipated there being such a lack of hype leading up to this game. It’s one of the highest point spreads of the season. Unfortunately for the Rams, they are without Matthew Stafford and their backup, John Wolford, is also dealing with an injury. Now, Bryce Perkins will make his NFL debut at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Rams are also without Cooper Kupp, who is on injured reserve. Things could get ugly.
The Chiefs are dealing with a few injuries of their own, but JuJu Smith-Schuster will be back in the mix. The team is likely also hoping to see more positive contributions from Skyy Moore this week after an excellent Week 11 against the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes continues to play at an MVP level, and the defensive front is getting after opposing quarterbacks. The Chiefs should win and win big.
Prediction: Chiefs 38, Rams 20
Conner Christopherson: Everything is going right for the Chiefs and everything is going wrong for the Rams. With Matthew Stafford potentially out for the year and Cooper Kupp also out, the Rams' already bad season has devolved into a nightmare. The thing to watch in this game is how the Chiefs handle a bad team and whether they can easily coast to a win. Games against bad teams this year have had mixed results, with a comfortable win over the Jaguars and a loss to the Colts. One player to watch is Isiah Pacheco. He might get a lot of carries if the Chiefs go up big early.
Prediction: Chiefs 30, Rams 17
Zack Eisen: Coming into the season, this game projected as one of the best of the season, with the defending Super Bowl champions traveling to play the Chiefs. However, the Rams are not the team they were last year. Between losing key players in the offseason and injuries, the Rams come into this game with one of the worst records in the league and a backup quarterback making his first career start. They still have defensive stars in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, so they can’t be taken lightly. The most important thing for the Chiefs is to win the game and come out clean on the injury side of things.
Prediction: Chiefs 35, Rams 17
Marlow Ferguson Jr.: With each passing week, it feels like the Chiefs enter Sunday’s game with some sort of incredible streak. This week, they are sporting a 13-game regular-season winning streak against NFC teams. They’ve officially reached Undertaker at WrestleMania status, and with a chance to add to a narrow lead in the AFC standings, this should be no different. The battles within the games, such as Aaron Donald vs. Joe Thuney should be more intriguing than the actual result. The Rams could keep this close for a short time, though this feels like one of those games for the defense to flex their muscles and get their DVOA and statistical rankings up, as they prep for a revenge tour next week.
Prediction: Chiefs 38, Rams 16
