The undefeated Kansas City Chiefs host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 9-point favorites in a Week 9 Monday Night Football clash. Oddsmakers set the total for this one at 45.5 despite the Buccaneers being without star wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

The Bucs have lost their last two games and are in danger of losing ground in the NFC South after losing to the Falcons last week. The Chiefs are seemingly on cruise control and pulling away from the Chargers in the AFC West. 

Keep reading to see how I'm approaching this game from a betting perspective. 

Buccaneers vs Chiefs Odds Week 9

Odds as of October 30 via Caesars Sportsbook

Buccaneers vs Chiefs Week 9 Picks

2T, 6.5P Teaser: Chiefs -2.5, Under 52 (-140)

The Chiefs should overpower the Bucs in this spot, but the Bucs are a team with Baker Mayfield that, even with injuries at receiver, are built for a back-door cover. Instead of trusting the Chiefs to cover the number, I teased this game under the key number of 3 and over a key number of 51. 

You usually feel good about having an under in a game with Steve Spagnolo on one sideline and it's hard for me to imagine scenarios where this game turns into a shootout. Instead, I'm expecting both offense will prefer to keep the ball on the ground which will grind the clock and theoretically should produce a lower scoring game.

The Bucs' offense looked surprisingly good last week vs. Atlanta, but I think some of that success was because Atlanta didn't know what to prepare for after the loss of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Spagnolo has tape to watch to prepare for this new-look Bucs offense which featured tight end Cade Otton. Otton had nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns last week and he'll surely be a focal point on Monday night.

I don't see the Bucs putting up a lot of points in this one and am still considering a team total under bet for Tampa Bay this week. 

Buccaneers vs Chiefs Week 9 Props

It's a little too early in the week for a full compliment of player props from sportsbooks so check back here later in the week and I'll update this section with my favorite Buccaneers vs. Chiefs props. 

Buccaneers vs Chiefs News

Tampa Bay lost two key players last week and their status for this week is in question. Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard is now an important part of the offense now that both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are out. Shepard left last week's game with a hamstring injury and that's never good news for a wide receiver. Veteran linebacker Lavonte David injured his ankle last week and also didn't return.

Keep a close eye on the practice participation for David and Shepard to see if they are likely to suit up or not. 

Buccaneers vs Chiefs Video Preview

Check out our full breakdown of this MNF matchup on today's The Huddle:

Buccaneers vs Chiefs Week 9 Betting Trends