Novig prices
Chiefs' Josh Downs says he 'kind of screamed' at news of trade to Kansas City
New Chiefs receiver Josh Downs says he screamed when he learned of the deadline trade sending him from the Colts to Kansas City before the Atlanta game.
Josh Downs did not hide how he felt about leaving Indianapolis for Kansas City. In his first news conference as a Chief, the receiver said, "I kind of screamed when I saw the text" telling him about the trade, according to The Kansas City Star. He also said that playing with Patrick Mahomes means more to him than he can put into words. Arrowhead Pride collected the comments in its daily news roundup.
The deal came together late on deadline day. ESPN reported that Kansas City sent 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks to the Colts and got back Downs and a 2027 seventh-rounder. Yahoo Sports noted that Downs is on an expiring contract and had asked Indianapolis for a way out. The Colts were 2-7 at the time. NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk pointed out a scheduling quirk: Kansas City has already had its bye and Indianapolis has not, so Downs could end up playing 18 games this season.
Kansas City wanted a receiver who can beat man coverage, and Downs fits that need. Chiefs.com reported that he has 33 catches for 354 yards and a touchdown in nine games this season. Fantasy Points Data rates his separation third-best among NFL receivers, behind only Garrett Wilson and Zay Flowers. He has also turned 10 third-down catches into first downs. The Chiefs have already seen what he can do up close. His best game of the season, seven catches for 72 yards, came at Arrowhead in Week 2, when Kansas City won 33-30. A 5-foot-9 slot receiver, Downs has 231 career catches for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns since the Colts took him in the third round in 2023. He joins a receiver room that includes Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.
What it means for Atlanta
The Chiefs are 6-2. Kansas City beat the Jets 35-12 last time out, ending a two-game slide that included a 20-3 loss at Seattle, where the offense managed just one field goal, and a 28-24 loss at Denver. The road record is 3-2. Downs's first chance to play for Kansas City is Sunday at Atlanta, with kickoff on CBS.
The board for that game shows 12 venues, and Kansas City is favored in every market. On Novig, one of those venues, the Chiefs are -174 on the moneyline and the Falcons are +170. The spread varies by half a point. Novig lists Kansas City at -3.5, paying +111. The best Chiefs spread price anywhere is Pinnacle's -3 at -115. The total varies by the same margin: Novig has 47.5, with the over at -100, and DraftKings has the best over price at 46.5 and -110. Sportsbook hold ranges from 3.0 to 5.1 percent across these markets, so the venues are not far apart.
The following week's game against Arizona is already posted, and the gap there is much wider. Kansas City is favored at -953 on Novig and by 14 to 14.5 points at the sportsbooks. That makes Sunday in Atlanta the tougher test of the two.