Kansas City Chiefs vs. Carolina Panthers: Week 12 Preview, Score Predictions

How will the Kansas City Chiefs fare when they travel to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 12? Let's predict KC's 11th outing of the 2024 season.

Nov 8, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) on the sidelines during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After their first loss of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs have an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday with another road contest. This time around, the 3-7 Carolina Panthers await the back-to-back Super Bowl champions and are looking to play the spoiler role as Week 12 arrives.

How will the game unfold? The Kansas City Chiefs On SI crew makes its predictions for Week 12 of the 2024-25 campaign.

Joshua Brisco: Are any Chiefs fans genuinely expecting a blowout? As long as Kansas City wins the game, I'm less worried about the score than I am the process. Can cornerback Nazeeh Johnson rebound after a terrible game against the Buffalo Bills? Will Patrick Mahomes take more opportunities to connect with Xavier Worthy downfield? Will any members of the Chiefs' defensive line other than Chris Jones make an impact? Those are the biggest question marks for the second half of the Chiefs' season, and they can begin to answer them against a lesser opponent in Carolina. My score prediction isn't pretty, but I expect KC to control the game consistently from wire to wire.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Panthers 10

Jordan Foote: The narrative about the Chiefs not blowing out inferior opponents is coming back around this week considering the matchup. Despite that, I'm still rolling with them to cover the spread on the road versus a Panthers team that's been resting and has won back-to-back games. In this week's preview, Carolina's poor passing offense and overall defense were highlighted. Kansas City – specifically Patrick Mahomes and Steve Spagnuolo's front seven – should enjoy a rebound performance on Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Chiefs 24, Panthers 10

Zack Eisen: After their first loss of the season, how do the Chiefs respond? On paper, Kansas City should win comfortably. However, the Chiefs haven’t been a team that blows out opponents for almost two years. However, it is an opportunity for them to inject some confidence into the offense. Xavier Worthy getting over 100 receiving yards with him and Patrick Mahomes hitting on some deep shots would be a significant development. After allowing the most points they have since Super Bowl 57, seeing the defense clamp down on a bad offense in a comfortable, easy win would be nice before an upcoming short week.

Prediction: Chiefs 35, Panthers 13

Mark Van Sickle: The Chiefs should win big this week. It rarely happens, but when you look at these two teams, the Chiefs have advantages all over the field and on the sideline. The Panthers are coming off a bye week and are riding a two-game winning streak heading into this game. Momentum is on their side with the Chiefs coming off a loss to the Bills. However, at the end of the day, the Chiefs know how to win these games and should get it done handily.

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Panthers 13

Read More: Chiefs Can Recalibrate vs. Panthers – Does It Matter if KC is 'Convincing?'