David Bell
Rams Reality
Taking a look at the reality of the Ram’s status from an Injury standpoint: Matt Stafford is out, and a backup QB John Wolford is also dealing with an injury. He is likely out for this game though he did have an FP status on Friday. The LAR installed their 3rd string QB, Bryce Perkins, for the previous game in which Stafford was out.
The Rams also have a slew of players who cannot play. Out this week: QBs Matt Stafford, and WR Cooper Kupp. Also out are: WR J.J. Koski, LT Joe Noteboom, LG David Edwards, RG Tremayne Anchum, RT Chandler Brewer.
The LAR OL is in a shambles related to starters. The Rams also released their #2 RB, Darrell Henderson. That action was flabbergasting to me. Too bad the Chiefs couldn’t have vied to bring him aboard.
Rams injury Week 11 Injury Report
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Considering all that has happened to the Rams OL, the game should see the Chiefs defensive speed and ability find success.
Furthermore, the game should be one in which the Chiefs pass rush should have its way. I suspect the Chiefs will exceed five sacks in this game. What would be great is to see George Karlaftis break out and get a sack, maybe even two. I’d love to see that happen. Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap should have big games. Let’s hope the Front Four is solid against the run, and our DEs set the edge and contain outside rushes by Williams or QB Perkins.
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They will be teeing off against 3rd String QB Perkins who has football fundamentals that are skimpy, and he is still working on his footwork. Wolford could get the nod as he was a full practice on Friday. However, Perkins has had all the practice snaps with the “Ones” over the past two weeks.
Aaron Donald is the threat on Defense but not playing up to his own standard. CJ has nine sacks, Donald 5. Pressures? Jones 44, Donald 36.
Chiefs Week 12 Injury Report
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I have one worry from the Injury Report – Joe Thuney. The reason is that the IOL will be fending off Aaron Donald. Kadarius Toney will not play. CJ was out for personal reasons, but I expect him to play. Another player who may be out is Juan Thornhill. Even if that is the case, I thought Bryan Cook played well when Juan left the game last week. Deon Bush has also been aggressive in his role in supporting the safety group. Essentially, the Chiefs have three Safeties with starter experience, and Cook is looking to add to his credentials.
I genuinely love our Cornerback grouping despite the youth movement. Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed for the foundation, with Jaylen Watson, Josh Williams, and Nazeeh Johnson forming the support for Sunday. If you check the injury report, you will see that Chris Lammons is questionable, though he was FP status Wednesday and Thursday, on Friday he did not practice (DNP). Lammons was in concussion protocol the previous week. I am particularly pleased with the development of Joshua Williams, who had only 17 snaps in the first five games. He is now part of the steady secondary and becoming a playmaker. Swapping Williams with Jaylen Watson has significantly boosted getting them the necessary NFL experience. Watson proved the job is not too big to deal with as he made a game-changing play in his first NFL Game.
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The good news from this list is both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Lucas Niang were FP status for all three sessions. I suspect they will have both players on a pitch count, but both will get game snaps to prepare for the game vs. the Bengals. JuJu is needed to the extent that he is a threat at any down or distance. The Chiefs need him comfortable after the terrible hit he sustained in the game vs. the Jaguars.
Niang needs game snaps to knock off the rust of having been out for a year due to the torn-up patellar injury. I wonder if Niang will stay in as long as possible to get him acclimated to NFL Game speed. Wylie will get the start, however. I want to see Niang play well and get as much time as possible in the game. He will be needed in the stretch run and post-season play. Of course, FP status in practice does not equal readiness to play extensive game snaps or start. Andrew Wylie can be considered a super-sub because he can play both OT and the Interior Guard positions. I believe the value of Wylie’s skillset cannot be overlooked. At the same time, I have supported Lucas Niang as the Chiefs ROT since before camp in 2021. Make it happen, Lucas!
Here’s another look at the Chiefs Last Injury report.
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| Player | Position | Injury | Wed | Thu | Fri | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Thuney | G | Ankle | DNP | DNP | LP | QUESTIONABLE |
| Kadarius Toney | WR | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | OUT |
| Juan Thornhill | FS | Calf | LP | LP | DNP | QUESTIONABLE |
| Nick Bolton | MLB | Hamstring | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| Chris Lammons | DB | Concussion | FP | FP | DNP | QUESTIONABLE |
| Lucas Niang | OT | Knee | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | Concussion | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| Jaylen Watson | CB | Hand | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| Jerick McKinnon | RB | Hamstring / Shoulder | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| L’Jarius Sneed | CB | Knee | FP | FP | FP | (-) |
| Michael Burton | FB | Illness | (-) | DNP | FP | (-) |
| Chris Jones | DT | NIR (Personal) | (-) | (-) | DNP | (-) |
K.C. Defensive Front vs. the Rams OL
The Rams are down to either their backup, or their third/fourth-string lineman at four of the five spots. The Rams only OL starter, is Rob Havenstein. I did have Rob on my draft watch list for a later round (2 or 3) in 2015. Otherwise, the OL is comprised of depth players. The Rams have started games thus far with ten different offensive linemen. Obviously, the weak unit on this offense is the OL, except for right tackle, Rob Havenstein.
As Charles Goldman observed, “The Rams could be trotting out their 11th offensive line combination of the season.” They’ll be without starting center Brian Allen, and their backup center Matt Skura is questionable heading into the game. Jones has the ninth-most pressures in the NFL this season and nine sacks on the year. This could be a game where he takes over and makes life very difficult for the opposing offense.”
Also from USAToday come an article by Cameron DaSilva called: “Rams have started 9 different O-lines in 9 games. Here are all of them” in which he reveals the Rams 9 different OLs in their first ten (10) weeks, 9 of which the Rams played in:
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This is probably the worst offensive line in football.
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Chiefs Secondary vs. Rams Aerial Game
Looking at the Rams site, you see that the acquisition of Allen Robinson has been flat and far less of a force than anticipated—he only has 33 catches for the 2022 season thus far. Pair that with QB Bryce Perkins and the odds are Robinson won’t be a force in this game. On the other hand, WR Bobby Wagner is a threat and has been performing above his pay grade. With the passing game in disarray, I expect the Rams will lean heavily on the ground game with RB Kyren Williams getting expanded carries—especially with Darrell Henderson’s release.
Without Cooper Kupp, the Rams do not have a significant threat passing the ball, especially with Perkins at the helm. Perkins is a threat on the ground, and Williams will hope to prove his worth on Sunday. I foresee that Willie Gay will contain Perkins, and Nick Bolton will seal the deal. The Chiefs secondary is very good at supporting the run defense, which will also be a factor. I am curious if Perkins tries to fit passes into contested passing lanes. If he does, expect him to suffer an INT or two.
Matt Stafford suffered another concussion and is out for the second game in a row. I suspect that Stafford is playing in his eclipse season. The Rams are playing for a draft pick as low as possible. Their problem is that they are without their first-round 2023 pick. The outlook on the all-in for 2022 is hurting the Rams and will continue to do so in 2023 since they used their 2023 1st rounder to trade for Stafford, and so, they’ll continue to hurt in 2023.
I do think that their secondary is good enough to stop or slow Mahomes & Co. They boast Jalen Ramsey, a highly competent core player. However, I do not expect to see the Rams offense as being capable of keeping up with the Chiefs. I want to think that the Chiefs will score 40+ points, but the Chiefs will get out front by two scores and hold off the Rams from that point. The Chiefs Defense has a good chance of forcing turnovers, and they could score well on a pick-six. From my previous view of games and magic numbers, the Numbers 20 and 27 are my key numbers. I don’t think the Rams will score 20, let alone 27, and if the Chiefs score 27 or more, they will win the game handily.
We face the Rams at Arrowhead Stadium this time around. That will be a factor, especially since they’re fielding an inexperienced QB. However, the Chiefs speed and aggressiveness on Defense will tell the tale. I regard the Rams offensive line as a weakness, but I usually can’t choose 3 or 4 scores over the spread. I want to predict such a massive offensive output, but shall refrain. Instead, there are things that the Chiefs will work on, including getting Lucas Niang game snaps to break the rust loose.
One way to beat the Rams Defense is to run the ball. It appears the Chiefs will attack them on the ground as well. That controls the clock and would help to alleviate Aaron Donald from being a significant factor, and will mix in the run with play-action passing, and RPOs throughout the game. Isiah Pacheco had a 107-yard rushing game last week and with Clyde Edwards-Helaire being out, I see a trio of RBs for the game headed by Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. Ronald Johnson (RoJo) will likely be on the active roster, and he needs game snaps. He has not been in a game since 2021.
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The Chiefs should score 30+ points in this one and hold the Rams away from the Red Zone for most of the game. My guess? The Chiefs will score over 30 at a minimum, and the Rams won’t make my old magic number 17. This Rams team is indeed suffering a Super Bowl Win Hangover, made worse by the decisions of the GM to go for immediate effect with player acquisitions in the 2022 preseason. What they tried to do is akin to what the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos did before the 2022 preseason as well. They spent lavishly, and we can see the results in the team records. The Chiefs have yet to face the Broncos to prove the point, but soon will have the opportunity. The NFL went after beating the Chiefs to beat the band. Thus far, the NFL has discovered its weakness in spending lavishly, trying to achieve the desired result. All the pundits who predicted a Chiefs slide from the upper echelon of the NFL have been proven wrong!
The Referee Crew
Weather for Chiefs-Rams
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Game Preview: Rams at Chiefs
With Charissa Thompson and Matt McMullen
Let’s hope the Chiefs coaches and players are not looking ahead to facing the Cincinnati Bengals. However, things will go well on Sunday if they don’t get ahead of themselves. This week, they cover the spread and move to 50/50 for games against the number.
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Final Score: Chiefs 34 – Rams 13
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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