Predicting the Final Score of Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals bring one of the toughest matchups to predict in Week 14. Both teams looked like pretty safe bets for the playoffs before their last two disappointing performances. Now both are in desperate need for a strong performance to get back on track.

The outcome of this game centers around one question – which team is going to show up? It may be Kansas City, maybe Arizona, maybe both, or maybe neither. Forget about the stats for this game. As corny as it sounds, this one is about who wants it more.

Neither team has shown up ready to play in the last two weeks. Both the Seattle Seahawks and lowly Atlanta Falcons controlled the Cardinals, while the Chiefs lost to the previously winless Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos.

This one can go either way, but I’ll give Kansas City the edge for a couple of reasons. First, they’re in full-blown must-win mode, while Arizona can still afford a loss or two. Not including teams currently leading their divisions, the AFC has six teams with records of 7-5, one 8-4 team and one 6-6 team.

The Wild Card race in the AFC is very crowded. The 7-5 Chiefs have to pull out all the stops from here on out if they want to see the postseason. Injuries are another reason why I like Kansas City’s chances.

Running back Andre Ellington is arguably Arizona’s most important offensive player considering the Chiefs’ weak run defense, and he will likely sit on Sunday due to a severe hip pointer. Safety Tyrann Mathieu is also expected to miss the game, making one of the league’s softest pass defenses even softer.

I’m giving the Chiefs a slight edge, but I don’t say that with a lot of confidence. If the team that was dominated by the Tennessee Titans and gave the Raiders their first win shows up, Arizona wins no matter what. If we see something closer to the team that beat the Seahawks and New England Patriots, Kansas City should leave Arizona with a big win.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Cardinals 17

Aaron Charles is a Kansas City Chiefs writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @aaroncharleskc or add him to your network on Google