The Kansas City Chiefs can make headway in their effort to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs with a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day in Week 13.
While the Chiefs’ latest victory over the Indianapolis Colts kept Kansas City in contention for another week, the reigning AFC champions still have work to do to punch their ticket to the postseason.
The 5-5-1 Cowboys could prove to be a perfect opponent for the Chiefs to defeat en route to a late-season winning streak.
Take a look at our staff predictions for Kansas City’s holiday matchup against Dallas:
Ed Easton Jr.’s prediction
The entire football world will be watching the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving with postseason hopes on the line.
The game will be sentimental for Patrick Mahomes, as he grew up in Texas and was a Cowboys fan. He will push the ball down the field whenever possible, emphasizing avoiding mistakes. Kareem Hunt should have help in the backfield with a returning Isiah Pacheco balancing the workload.
On defense, Chris Jones will be a significant factor against the Cowboys’ offensive line as he needs to win his matchups. The secondary will be busy against the talented Dallas receivers, which should create takeaway opportunities. A close game that will again rely on kicker Harrison Butker’s leg late in the game.
Final score: Chiefs 35, Cowboys 32
Jon Ediger’s prediction
Thursday’s matchup will likely decide Kansas City’s fate for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The Chiefs will need to reintroduce the ground game this week if they want to earn their seventh win of the year. Dallas’ front seven is among the best in the league, but the addition of running back Dameon Pierce, as well as the return of running back Isiah Pacheco, should lighten the load for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City’s defense was, at best, lackadaisical for most of last week’s win against the Indianapolis Colts. Only after defensive lineman Chris Jones took it upon himself to rally the troops in the fourth quarter did the Chiefs’ defense finally have an impact. If the reigning AFC champions want a chance to take down quarterback Dak Prescott, a performance like last week is simply not an option.
Final score: Chiefs 28, Cowboys 17
John Dillon’s prediction
Kansas City has lost several winnable games this season and hasn’t looked like a world-beating superteam capable of securing its spot in a fourth consecutive Super Bowl. But, for all of the Chiefs’ inadequacies, Kansas City remains on the precipice of fighting its way back to controlling its own destiny after a gritty win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
With another victory against Dallas on Thanksgiving, the Chiefs could draw closer to a Wild Card seed with just a few weeks left in the regular season. As such, I’ll predict that Kansas City will win this all-important primetime matchup, and even go so far as to say I think the Chiefs will blow out the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
Expect Patrick Mahomes to throw for more than 400 yards and for Travis Kelce to catch two or more touchdown passes to put Kansas City back on the map.
Final score: Chiefs 53, Cowboys 12
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 3 predictions for Chiefs vs. Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day
