Cowboys, Chiefs In Must-Wins; Lions Roar

The must-win shoe is on the other foot.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, so often the team to administer the final blow to the postseason chances of (enter: favorite team), face a pair of 8-2 teams that are in exactly that position.

The defending AFC champion Chiefs play host to surprising the Indianapolis Colts in the Sunday morning window, and the Cowboys are at home against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the otherwise dreary afternoon card.

Kansas City’s loss at Denver puts them in a precarious position to make the playoffs, let alone defend their nine-year reign as the AFC West champion. The Chiefs (5-5) are three game behind the Broncos (9-2) in the loss column, and time is running out.

The Cowboys (4-5-1) will have a hard time catching the Eagles in the NFC East, but they need all the wins they can get.

Both the NFC West and NFC North have three legitimate playoff contenders apiece, and there is only room for four wild cards behind the division winners. The Detroit Lions will step up against the New York Giants.

Indianapolis Colts (8-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)

Sunday, CBS, 1 pm ET

The Colts are having a breakthrough season behind rehabilitated quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor, injury free and relieved of the burden of having Anthony Richardson behind center. The Colts’ reach for Richardson with the fourth pick in the 2023 draft looks worse every day.

Coach Shane Steichen’s offense is purring — 397 yards and 32.1 points per game, both tops in the league. That being said, the Colts have beaten only two teams with winning records, Denver and the Chargers. None of their final seven games is against a team with a losing record.

The Chiefs have not been the same since turning away from the run game following after Isiah Pacheco’s 2024 injury, but they play defense. Jones has four picks in the last three games after having three in the first eight.

The spread: Chiefs -3 1/2

The money line: Chiefs -186, Colts +156

The total: 49 1/2

The play: Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) at Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1)

Sunday, FOX, 4:25 pm ET

The Eagles won the first game between the two in the season opener, 24-20, in which Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected six seconds into the game for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Rivalry? Yes.

The Cowboys have won six of the last seven in the series in Big D, and Philadelphia has swept the series only once since 2007. Prescott is 9-5 in 14 starts and has three 340-plus-yard passing games against the Eagles.

The Dallas defense remains suspect, but the trade deadline addition of All Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has helped. The Cowboys are 3-1 against the number as underdogs this season and covered as a 7 1/2-point dog in the first meeting.

Prescott has won the last 18 home division games that he has started.

The spread: Eagles -3 1/2

The money line: Eagles -176, Cowboys +148

The total: 47 1/2

The play: Cowboys

New York Giants (2-9) at Detroit Lions (6-4)

Sunday, FOX, 1 pm ET

If it appears we are chasing the Lions, maybe so, but the line cannot get high enough to match the disparity between these two.

The line jumped three points after the Giants announced that quarterback Jaxson Dart would miss his second straight game in the NFL’s concussion protocol. A caveat: the public is usually wrong.

Dart’s replacement, Jameis Winston, is an interception waiting to happen. Green Bay defenders dropped three potential picks in its 27-20 victory a week ago. The loss of running back Cam Scattebo has hurt the Giants as well.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell have covered 13 in a row against the number following a loss, and included are home beatdowns of the Chicago Bears (52-21) in Week 2 and the Washington Commanders (44-22) two weeks ago.

The Giants are giving up 150 yards per game rushing, a Detroit strength. The Lions, stuffed by the Eagles last week, will be back.

The spread: Lions -12 1/5

The money line: Lions -900, Giants +610

The total: 49 1/2

The play: Lions

Last week: 1-2

Season: 16-19

_{Odds by FanDuel}