Trends
When the Washington Football Team — WFT — has lost four of their last five Home game… added along with the stat that the Kansas City Chiefs have won 12 of their last 13 Road games, then almost any other stats seems irrelevant. Then you consider that these 2021 Chiefs have given the ball away an average of 2.2 times per game… and then you come back down to earth and accept the idea that either team could win this game.
Injury Reports
Chiefs – The Chiefs are reporting that the players who are Questionable include: Anthony Hitchens, Tyreek Hill, and Joe Thuney. The Players who they are reporting Out include: Charvarius Ward, Blake Bell, and Chris Jones.
Ward and Jones being out of this game is no small disadvantage for a defense already struggling to stay afloat.
WFT – The players the WFT are reporting as Questionable include: RB Antonio Gibson, WR Dyami Brown, TE Sammis Reyes and WR Terry McLaurin. The players they’re reporting as Out include: OL Sam Cosmi, LB Jared Norris, WR Curtis Samuel, and WR Cam Sims.
Key Matchups
The WFT defense boast two of the better defensive ends in the game today with Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Both Chiefs tackles, Orlando Brown and Lucas Niang will have their hands full all day long, so these will be matchups worth watching. Teams that have given the Chiefs offense problems this year have been able to put pressure on Patrick Mahomes while only bringing four DL and with Young and Sweat, the WFT defense should be able to cause havoc. So, keep an eye out for the way both Mahomes, and HC Andy Reid, handles these pass rushers.
Biggest If and… Gosh, It’s Josh in Wash!
If Tyreek Hill can’t go today, the pressure will be on the Chiefs other wideouts and we may end up seeing more than expected of new WR Josh Gordon. Gordon gives Mahomes not only a fast WR, but someone much like Travis Kelce who can have success over the middle of the field. Nevertheless, if Hill is a no-go, it doesn’t help the Chiefs attack. One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor so to speak… meaning Josh Gordon seems ready to take on a larger role if called upon. Gordon shared this week:
“The opportunities, it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing to have. Most importantly, this one being here. It’s brand new. It’s current. I’m in the present. I’m taking it all in stride, and I’m enjoying it. Really you have to have an extreme level of focus if you want to do anything consistently well in life… I think perseverance and gratitude, just appreciation for every day, being able to wake up being healthy, having the resources I have at my disposal to use and really go out there and get what it is that I desire most in life, and that right now is playing football in the NFL.”
Gordon goes on to share:
“Fortunately, I don’t have the wear and tear on my body that somebody I guess normally at this age and stage in their career, so hopefully I can play until I’m 37, 38, who knows. I’m just fortunate, I think, to be in this position. I don’t feel like there’s a rush to do anything or do something I’ve done in the past. I just want to be a part of a great team and a great organization, play my role.”
The Weather at FedEx Field
It looks like near perfect football weather in DC today. he 82,000 capacity stadium should be filled to the brim with fans hoping to see the Chiefs juggernaut offense.
The WFT and Far Reaching Troubles
The email scandal stemming from the investigation of the WFT was responsible for uncovering the salacious emails messages Jon Gruden sent ten years ago and although it seems like an eternity now that he stepped down as head coach of the Raiders, in reality it was just 6 days ago. The Associated Press also reported this weekend that the NFL
“Did not identify other areas and other individuals it has to contact at club leadership or league leadership levels” based on the emails generated by the Washington Football Team investigation.”
That’s important to know because there were more than 650,000 emails involved in this investigation and who knows how many other people could have been named and blamed “guilty” for whatever they wrote.
Let me be perfectly clear on my response to what Jon Gruden wrote in his emails (and I’ve read many of them)… they were prejudicial, slanderous, involved pervasive harassment, were misogynistic, abusive, meant to cause harm, meant to defame, were incredibly self-serving and inflammatory and it remains a truly serious situation. Jon Gruden was a bully with a bully pulpit willing to say whatever came to him no matter who it hurt.
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That being said… and I in no way want to make light of this… however, I don’t know if you saw this one, but it looks like Chiefs HC may be guilty of loving Cheeseburgers a little too much…
That’s a joke of course, but you can see the never ending problems those emails could have ended up causing countless others.
New Expectations
I expect to see more of Juan Thornhill. Of course, I say that every week and remain disappointed every week. I think we need to start a movement –> FREE THORNHILL!!!
I also expect to see more from Jerick McKinnon who only has 1 rushing attempt this year with a total of 9 snaps per game on offense. I believe he’ll see significant snaps and rushing attempts in this game today and his 4.41 speed should come in handy.
I also expect to see a Linebacker we’ve not seen before… if… Anthony Hitchens can’t go today (he is Questionable). Now, I’m not talking about Willie Gay, he is a given. However, if Hitch is grounded, someone has to step in and that could be: Dorian O’Daniel. BTW, O’Daniel has had a total of two (2) defensive snaps this year (so far).
Referee Crew Assignment
You Just Wait One Minute (With Mitch)
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Go Chiefs!
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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