Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Giants: Prediction, preview, pick to win

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-3) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (1-8)

KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium. TV: CBS, Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn (field reporter).

SERIES HISTORY: 14th regular-season meeting. Giants lead series, 10-3. The Giants have owned the Chiefs at home, winning all six games -- five by double-digit margins. The Chiefs won the last meeting at Arrowhead Stadium, 31-7, during coach Andy Reid's first season in Kansas City. Reid is 16-13 as a head coach against the Giants, including wins in eight of his last 10 matchups.

KEYS TO THE GAME: The Chiefs must avoid a letdown, and coach Andy Reid was doing his best prevent that this week. "They play hard," Reid said. "I have a lot of respect for their defensive coordinator (Steve Spagnuolo). I think he does a great job and they've got good players."

The Giants will have to do more than play hard. And that starts with tackling. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins seemed disinterested on multiple plays last week in the Giants' 31-21 loss to previously winless San Francisco.

Quarterback Eli Manning, who was 28-for-37 in the loss, will once again need to find emerging wide receiver Sterling Shepard. The second-year wideout has 16 catches for 212 yards in his past two games.

The Chiefs, who are coming off their bye, need to recommit to the run. In a 28-17 loss to the Cowboys in Week 8, Kansas City rookie carried the ball just nine times.

After a 5-0 start, the Chiefs have lost three of four, and Hunt has not hit the 100-yard mark in any of those games. He rushed for more than 100 yards in four of his first five.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill vs. Giants CB Eli Apple. Hill averages 15.4 yards per reception, and Apple leads the Giants with eight passes defended. The Giants tend to play a lot of off-man coverage, and that can create space for Hill to make plays. Hill's last five touchdown receptions all went for more than 30 yards, and he has averaged 56.3 yards on his four touchdown catches this season.

--Giants QB Eli Manning vs. Chiefs secondary. This game looks like a mismatch on paper, with the Chiefs among the AFC leaders at 6-3 and the Giants experiencing a disastrous 1-8 start. But Manning still can carry a team and, if the Giants pull off the win as a home underdog, it will likely be due to Manning attacking the Chiefs' 28th-ranked secondary downfield.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Chiefs DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches. The Chiefs may need the versatile third-year lineman to play a larger role in the coming weeks with the departure of backup DT Roy Miller. Nunez-Roches, who can play all three positions along the defensive line, has 12 tackles and a half-sack. The 6-foot-2, 307-pound native of Belize brings intensity and enthusiasm to the defensive line, providing a much-needed spark at times. The team re-signed veteran Cam Thomas this week, but he hasn't been on the field since the Chiefs cut him after the preseason. Until Thomas gets back in form, Nunez-Roches is the team's most reliable backup at nose tackle for starter Bennie Logan.

FAST FACTS: Chiefs QB Alex Smith passed for two TDs in Week 9. He completed an NFL-record 287 consecutive passes without an interception to start the season. He leads the NFL with a 113.9 passer rating. He threw for 288 yards and three TDs in the last meeting. ... RB Kareem Hunt leads the AFC with 1,131 scrimmage yards. He is one of five rookies in NFL history with 800 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards (331) in the first nine games. ... WR/PR Tyreek Hill has a TD catch in the past two road games. His 17 TDs (10 receiving, three rushing, three punt returns, one kick return) are the most among AFC receivers since 2016. ... TE Travis Kelce aims for fourth game in a row with a TD catch. He leads NFL tight ends with 629 yards and ranks second with 51 catches. He has recorded 50 catches in four consecutive seasons. ... Giants QB Eli Manning will make his 209th consecutive start. He ranks seventh in NFL history with 50,307 passing yards and 334 TD passes. ... RB Orleans Darkwa has 345 scrimmage yards (86.3 per game) in his past four games. ... WR Sterling Shepard set career-highs in receptions (11) and yards (142) in Week 10. He has 408 yards (81.6 per game) in his past five games. ... TE Evan Engram has four straight games with a TD catch and is tied for the NFL lead among rookies with five TD catches. He is second in yards (443) and third in receptions (40). ... DE Olivier Vernon recorded his first career interception in Week 10. He had a sack in his only career game vs. KC (2014 with Miami).

PREDICTION: The Giants are bad. And on Sunday, rumors of coach Bob McAdoo's demise will be swirling around the Meadowlands. The Chiefs should dominate all three facets of the game.

OUR PICK: Chiefs, 34-13.

--Ched Whitney