Chiefs vs. Jets: The Closing Line

Gameday is upon us once again. Can the Chiefs go on the road and steal one from the New York Jets? It will be a tough task, as the Jets are tough at home and (like the Chiefs) are in dire need of this win for their playoff hopes.

In The Opening Line, we saw that the Chiefs were 9 point underdogs and the total was 36.5. How much has changed during the week? Did the money come in on the side of the Jets? Did the news of Kyle Orton's injury hurt the value of the Chiefs? Do bettors see the Chiefs as a "dangerous dog"? Let's find out that and more in the Week 14 installment of The Closing Line.

As kickoff approaches, the Chiefs did not get the advantage from Vegas that we saw the last two weeks. In those games, the big money was coming in on the Chiefs, while the public was all over the Bears and Steelers. This week the line has risen to 10.5 and the total is still hovering between 36.5 and 36.

2/11/11		111	Kansas City	37	10.5		36	24567	46%	35%	44%
1:00PM		112	New York Jets	9½	-10.5		36		54%	65%	56%

I will use this chart again to illustrate my point. With approximately 25,000 wagers in, the split is only 54% to 46% in favor of the Jets yet the line slowly rose to this point all week. There isn't enough here to be nervous about, but we have our work cut out for us as Chiefs fans today. I'm not nervous and as I tweeted last night, the Chiefs are going to win this game. (I'm being reasonable and a homer here)

Fantasy Football Updates (Good Luck in your playoffs!!!)

Ruled out before Sunday: TE Scott Chandler (ankle), WR Jacoby Ford (foot), RB Matt Forte (knee), RB Mark Ingram (toe), WR Andre Johnson (hamstring), K Rian Lindell (shoulder), WR Denarius Moore (foot), RB James Starks (knee).

Top players we're watching

Early games (1 p.m. ET)

TE Dallas Clark (fibula, questionable): active
K Billy Cundiff (left calf, questionable): active
QB Josh Freeman (right shoulder, questionable): active
WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, questionable): active
QB Kyle Orton (right finger, doubtful): inactive
RB Adrian Peterson (ankle, questionable): inactive
QB Christian Ponder (hip, questionable): active
RB Kevin Smith (ankle, questionable): inactive
WR Kevin Walter (illness, questionable): active
WR Nate Washington (ankle, questionable): active

Late games (4 p.m. ET)

RB Willis McGahee (knee, questionable)

Night game (8:20 p.m. ET)

WR Miles Austin (hamstring, questionable)
WR Laurent Robinson (shoulder, questionable)

Steve in RI's Selections

KC +10.5

KC ML +475

Minnesota +10

Carolina +3

Well there you have it. I'm excited for this one and I hope the boys do not disappoint. Wherever you are and wherever you will be watching, root hard and let's meet back here afterwards and celebrate the victory! Enjoy the day everyone.