If the odds makers are correct, the first game of the Tyler Palko era in Kansas City will not be pretty. The Chiefs are +16 road underdogs for their Monday night game against the New England Patriots.
Before losing 24-20 to the New York Giants on Nov. 6, Tom Brady had won 31 straight home regular season games as the starting QB, an NFL record.
But while Brady is still playing on a Pro Bowl level, the Patriots rushing offense has declined in recent years, good news for a battered Kansas City run defense, which gave up 244 yards rushing on 55 attempts to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos last Sunday. New England averages 105.9 yards rushing a game, 19th in the NFL.
The Patriots pass defense, meanwhile, is the worst in the NFL, giving up 308.9 yards of passing per game.
Bill Belichick will likely try to confuse Palko in his first-career start and force turnovers, but there should be opportunities for the Pittsburgh product to make plays down the field.
But with almost no game film to go on, the odds makers don't appear to have much confidence in the 28-year old QB, as the over/under for the game is only 48 points.