Chiefs at Vikings: OPEN THREAD

Laddie Morse

Let me be perfectly clear… this is not a trap game. Usually, a trap game appears when a stronger opponenet — the Chiefs — is overcome by a weaker opponenet — the Vikings… but that’s not all, as the Chiefs players will not be looking forward to the next game, which is what I believe is part and parcel required in defining a “trap game.” More on this subject of “Trap Games” from David Bell in the coming week.

Here are Kirk Cousins’ stats so far this season:

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What stands out about Kirk Cousins stats is that he’s gotten worse as the season has progressed. Also, the defenses he’s faced have gotten weaker and weaker from a Rating standpoint. Here’s all of the NFL’s Top Rated Defenses after Week Four as stated by profootballnetwork.com:

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Based on the rankings from profootballnetwork.com, here’s the data on the Vikings season so far:

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Here’s the data on the Chiefs opponents:

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profootballnetwork.com has the Chiefs defense ranked at #7 so this will be the toughest defense the Vikings have faced all year. On the other hand, the Vikings defense is ranked at #24 so this will be the easiest defense the Chiefs have faced all season (with the exception of the Bears and profootballnetwork.com hasn’t taken the bears Thursday night win over the Commanders into consideration, yet).

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As we move down the road, as far as the Chiefs schedule is concerned, the Chiefs will be facing:

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That takes us through week 12 when the Chiefs travel to Vegas to take on the Raiders. The only difficult game — as far as profootballnetwork.com is concerned — will be the week nine game in Germany against the Miami Dolphins. Even though the Dolphins scored 70 on the Broncos in week three (which is understandable, after all, it is the Broncos) they immediately lost their next game to the Buffalo Bills 48-to-20.

BTW, Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill had only three receptions in the game vs the Bills so apparently they had figured out how to stop him… proving, it can be done. I don’t anticipate any problems with the Chiefs defensive backfield handling Hill.

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Back to the Vikings

The Chiefs will have to be focused on stopping, or slowing, WR Justin Jefferson this week… but maybe not TE T.J. Hockenson. The Vikings have a very good Tight End in Hockenson, but his numbers have gone down gradually in each game this year. So much so, that the Chiefs may not need to worry about him. Here is a look at his stats in all of his games this season. Pay special attention to the percentage of catches he’s had this year. It’s gone down in every game:

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As you can see, his Catch Rate Percentage started out high for Hockenson at 88.9%, but his Catch Rate last week was only 66.7% and that’s worse than any Chiefs WRs and believe me, we’ve had plenty to complain about when it comes to our WRs. If you’re not so sure, take another look at Phillip Maxwell’s piece from earlier this week called, “Does Patrick Mahomes Trust his WRs?”

I was chatting on the phone with David Bell this week and saying that Justin Jefferson is one of the premiere wideouts in the league. FoxSports.com has an article called, “Justin Jefferson leads loaded list of top 10 receivers” and ranked the 10 best wide receivers in the league just prior to this season beginning. Here’s their top five:

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I contend that Justin Jefferson has not fallen off to any degree since the season has started, as he has 543 receiving yards in only four games and he leads the league in receiving yards gained. So, he’ll be a force to be dealt with for the Chiefs DBs.

Many believe that the Chiefs have the best pair of corners in the league in Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed. DC Steve Spagnuolo says that Trent McDuffie is as versatile as L’Jarius Sneed and that’s saying something! While I love those two, it will take more than just them to make sure the Chiefs come home a winner.

That’s why I’m super-psyched that the Chiefs have Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson. Also, there’s been some positive news about Chamarri Conner of late. Conner was a 4th round pick — the #119 selection — earlier this year in the NFL Draft which took place in K.C. at Union Station. Here’s what thedraftnetwork.com had to say about him at the time:

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“After being part of three state championships in high school, Chamarri Conner took his talents to Virginia Tech and delivered a productive career as a fixture for the Hokies’ defense. He started nearly 50 consecutive games and appeared in more than 60 during his career at Virginia Tech. After spending 2019-2021 as a slot/nickel defender, Conner served as a deep safety in 2022. He has appeal as a hybrid slot safety that should be an impact special teams contributor at the next level.”

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“A hybrid slot-safety,” huh? While Conner’s 6-foot-0, 205 lbs. frame is exactly what the GM doctor ordered, the Chiefs need to stay true to the Andy Reid quote of years ago: “You can’t have enough corners in this league.”

Wow, does Chamarri Conner sound exactly like the kind of guy that DC Steve Spagnuolo loves to love? Oh yeah! So, I won’t be at all surprised if Conner gets significant snaps in this game. Although I must say, I’m in no way worried about the Chiefs DBs as they often seem to find guys later in the draft who can not only play safety, but step up and cover in the slot when called upon. Using players who are Swiss army knives gives Spags the chance to mx up his defensive calls so that opposing offenses can never know what’s coming next.

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Raging at the Refs

In an article for Yardbarker.com called, “Chiefs Pull Crew That Leads the NFL in Unnecessary Roughness Penalties” written by Charles Goldman who said:

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“Through four games this season [Land] Clark and his crew have notched 55 accepted penalties, which is good for the fifth-most in the NFL so far this season. His crew also has one of the lowest dismissed/overturned penalty rates in the NFL this season.”

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Many NFL fans say the Refs give the Chiefs leeway thereby helping them to win. However, when it comes to being called for fouls, the reality is much different. The Chiefs are rated 13th overall in Net Yards from Penalties with -33 (that’s negative 33 yards). They have 180 Yards in Penalties against them while they have picked up only 147 yards on Penalties given to their opponents.

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Injury Reports

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I hope this is true:

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Weather

U.S Bank Stadium is an indoor Stadium and should not present any weather issues. Plus. it is a relatively new stadium opening in 2016.

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My Prediction: Chiefs 34, Vikings 20

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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