Chiefs vs Patriots: What to Watch – Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are flying high, after the demolition of Baltimore Ravens, but a tougher test awaits. This week, Chiefs will face another excellent defense, and an opposing QB who can run and pass effectively. While Cam Newton may not have the weapons Lamar Jackson does, he’s a much more experienced, and consistent passer. The match-up, against the New England Patriots, may be the most revealing, to date, for the Chiefs. Here’s what fans should be looking for.
Deteriorating Dave
Regular readers, here at ArrowheadOne, likely recognized the name Devin Duvernay. I wrote about him, leading up to the draft in my WR Lazy Big Board:
“Missing a tackle on Duvernay can spell trouble quick, as he’s extremely fast. Excellent after the catch and offers value as a kick returner, or gunner, on STs.”
Once Darwin Thompson lost contain, Duvernay’s TD did not surprise, but the fact that the Chiefs kicked it to him in the first place, certainly did. Harrison Butker had some struggles with accuracy on Monday Night, but showed he had ample power to kick Touchbacks, something Chiefs would opt to do, after Duvernay torched them. A strategy shift is overdue for Dave Toub. When Alex Smith isn’t under center and Bob Sutton isn’t calling the defense, the kind of aggressive, high variance, tactics, that Toub employs become a problem. Touchbacks should be the goal on both the kicking and receiving end. A potential 5-10 yard difference, in field position, is a poor reward for the risk of giving up a touchdown, fumbling a return, or falling victim to an Illegal Block In The Back penalty. Toub needs to change with the times.
Defense and Development
An excellent defensive performance by the Chiefs, also yielded some snaps for Willie Gay. Nate Taylor, of the Athletic, has indicated that Chiefs were planning to get Willie Gay more involved in October. The defense has been solid to this point, but with piling up, K.C. will need to see development from some of their depth players. That would be a welcome sight as Ben Niemann, despite flash plays, has struggled a fair bit. With L’Jarius Sneed likely sidelined, for at least six weeks, the Chiefs may have to start getting Bopete Keyes some reps. Alternately, they may look to give a significant role to Antonio Hamilton and Tedric Thompson. Thompson, in particular, has shown significant improvement in the Spags scheme, over his body of work in Seattle. With Sneed on IR, the Chiefs have elevated second year, Undrafted Free Agent Linebacker, Darius Harris, to the main roster. Harris will likely shoulder the load, on Special Teams, for players who will now play a significant role, on defense.
Discipline and Mistake Free Football
Brett Veach signed Chris Jones to a large extension thanks to his value as a pass rushing Defensive Tackle. However, Jones has always tended to lack discipline in the run game. Against the Ravens, that was not the case. Jones contained Lamar Jackson and maintained his rush lane integrity, instead of going for the big play. The Chiefs Offensive Line did a fantastic job against a blitz-heavy Baltimore Defense, by sticking to their assignments and communicating. Mahomes helped them by identifying the blitz and getting rid of the ball on time and on target.
It must have been pretty sweet for Brett Veach, watching the Chiefs shred a highly paid Marcus Peters on Monday Night, while the Chiefs late round picks and low cost acquisitions gave up less than 100 yards through the air. The Chiefs CBs performed well simply by executing their given assignments, instead of freelancing (as Peters so often does). Outside of a couple gaffs by Darwin Thompson, K.C. demonstrated excellent discipline against the Ravens. They will have to maintain that focus against a New England Patriots team that won’t fail to exploit any player out of position, and tends to get the better end of calls from officiating crews.
Dominance and the One Seed
Through three weeks, the Chiefs have demonstrated dominance twice. New England offers their toughest test to date. Cam Newton is a genuine threat at QB, with his legs and his arm, from behind or ahead. What the Patriots lack in pass rush, they make up for in defensive brilliance and quality secondary play. If the Chiefs come out and dominate this opponent, just pencil them in for the one seed. Winning should be the only goal, but doing so in convincing fashion, would put the league on notice. The Chiefs can prove that not only are they the best team in the AFC, they’re the best team in the NFL, perhaps one of the best teams in the history of the game. Bragging rights aside, the value of such a statement win is a significant psychological advantage.
Conclusion: What to Watch
The Kansas City Chiefs have a simple opportunity in front of them on Sunday: win another game and remain undefeated. The way that they go about it will tell us a lot about this team. If Dave Toub can bounce back… if the rookies can get better… if guys like Chris Jones can stay disciplined: then this team is only going to get better. If they can go out and dominate the New England Patriots, it becomes time for a different discussion: are the Chiefs one of the greatest teams of all time? They can begin to answer that on Sunday, and the whole league will be watching.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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