The Minnesota Vikings will have their star running back Sunday; the Kansas City Chiefs will not. And that could very well be the difference in this game.
Chiefs vs. Vikings 2015 picks and predictions: Minnesota the unanimous pick to win
The Chiefs will be without star running back Jamaal Charles, and nobody is giving them much of a chance to snap their four-game losing skid in his absence.
Jamaal Charles will miss the rest of the season with a torn right ACL, which he suffered during last week's loss to the Chicago Bears. It is the second ACL tear of his career.
The Chiefs' offense sputtered without Charles in the lineup, as they didn't score a single point in the second half against Chicago. Second-year running back Charcandrick West and veteran Knile Davis attempted to fill in for Charles, but they only finished with 33 yards combined on nine carries. They'll probably have to do a lot more if the Chiefs are to have a chance in this week's contest.
In addition to being an every down back, Charles was arguably Alex Smith's favorite target as well. He has 2,443 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. It remains to be seen who will fill in for his production in the passing game, as well, which has largely been inept over the last couple of seasons. (Jeremy Maclin was the first Chiefs wideout to catch a touchdown pass since December 2013 in Week 3.)
Smith will probably have to carry the bulk of the load for the Chiefs offense Sunday, which doesn’t bode well. He completed 16 of 30 passes for a season-low 181 yards last week. He’s been the sacked the second most times in the NFL, too.
The Vikings, meanwhile, will likely ride running back Adrian Peterson, who's rushed for 341 yards over the last three games. Kansas City's defense is ranked 12th-best against the run.
One advantage the Chiefs may have is a stout pass rush, which is led by star defensive end Justin Houston. Teddy Bridgewater was sacked seven times and lost a fumble in Minnesota’s loss against Denver two weeks ago.
If the Chiefs are going to be victorious and stop the Vikings’ five-game home winning streak, they’re probably going to have to force the inexperienced Bridgewater to turn the ball over a few times. Our experts don’t see that happening, though. Everyone has the Vikings walking away with the victory, and all eight of CBS’ prognosticators agree.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark | |
| KC @ MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN |
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