The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the league spotlight, this time hosting the NFC South’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 of Monday night football.

The The Chiefs bring their record unblemished in the game, doing everything right in the win-loss column as they pursue the elusive three-peat as Super Bowl champions. The Bucs, meanwhile, are 4-4 and sit behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.

Both teams have work to do their fair share of injuries as the NFL regular season passes the midpoint. The Chiefs will be without linebacker Drue Tranquill and defensive end Mike Danna, while star wide receiver Mike Evans is the Buccaneers’ most outstanding player this month.

Kansas City is expected to have a healthy crowd around GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the primetime game. How do our writers predict this conference clash will play out?

Braden Holecek
The Buccaneers have been a competitive team all year. But with injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield faces more pressure to succeed. The aspect I watch the most is how well the Chiefs offense plays. Tampa Bay gave up a lot through the air, ranking poorly in pass defense. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City have a chance to actually put up more points than they have in most contests. Do they really make it on Monday?
Chiefs 34, Buccaneers 20

Lucas Strozinsky
Without Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, the Chiefs should win this game going away, but Kansas City seems to have at least the odd home loss every year, especially in primetime. I won’t predict a loss here, but it wouldn’t shock me if this game was unnecessarily close in this 4th quarter.
Chiefs 23, Buccaneers 16

Patrick Allen
The Chiefs aren’t playing well, but they’re rolling. They will face a dangerous but broken Bucs team. Tampa has plenty of offensive firepower, perhaps more than any team the Chiefs have played since facing the Bengals. I expect Deandre Hopkins to play a major factor in sparking the Kansas City passing game. If the Chiefs defense continues to play as well as it has, Kansas City should move to 8-0 Monday night football.
Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 20

Matt Conner
Minus Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it’s hard to see the Bucs being any kind of offensive threat to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, even with the current losses and changes in place. The Bucs are well coached and have more talent on the roster than the casual fan realizes, but this is at home in a primetime affair.
Chiefs 24, Buccaneers 12

Felix Johnson
The Bucs have a bad matchup. The defense is bad. The offense is hurting. The Chiefs win again.
Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 13

Stacy D. Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs return to One Arrowhead Drive for a nationally televised tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. Fortunately for them, their NFC opponent will avoid losing both of their top two receivers Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (torn ACL). Without them, the Chiefs shouldn’t have as much trouble matching up on the outside despite their own injuries in the cornerback room. The forecast calls for rain, so Kareem Hunt will be a key part of Kansas City’s offensive game plan. Patrick Mahomes plays another efficient game, DeAndre Hopkins scores his first touchdown as a Chiefs, and the good guys keep going and winning.
Chiefs 24, Buccaneers 17

Shawn O’Brat
The Chiefs have proven that no one is going to run on them, and with Tampa’s depleted receiving core, it will take one or two trick plays or random moments to give Tampa momentum. The Chiefs offense really seems to be clicking even with new pieces like Hopkins still finding their way. Mahomes will likely have another great regular season game against the Bucs, but will be overshadowed by the defense, forcing more turnovers.
Chiefs 31, Buccaneers 23

Jacob Milham
I feel comfortable knowing the Chiefs win at home. Marja is a pickle. They have the better team on paper, but that didn’t translate to a Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. A solid defense will help the Chiefs win, but it won’t be comfortable.
Chiefs 23, Buccaneers 20