Week 11 Friday Focus: Chiefs @ Rams
By: Peyton Schultze
Rams head coach, Sean McVay, celebrating a huge win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10.
Hi everybody, and a very pleasant Friday to you wherever you may be.
Here it is. The potential regular season game of year in the NFL. This upcoming Monday, young phenom, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) travel to Los Angeles to meet up with Aaron Donald and the fired up Rams (9-1) at 5:15 on ESPN. In a battle of offensive juggernauts, the Rams and Chiefs are expected to put up a flurry of points on the board, led by stars such as Mahomes, Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. Yet the key for this game very well may be who makes that one key defensive play to shift the tide of the game. The Rams hope they can repeat their knack for making clutch defensive plays down the stretch, as seen in last week’s 4th quarter against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks:
However, these young and explosive Kansas City Chiefs are a team that has captivated the entire NFL and has put on an absolute show for the majority of the season. While the Chiefs have offensive weapons at their disposal unlike many teams in the league, their offense begins with their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. A rookie and backup to Alex Smith on last season’s 10-6 AFC West winner, Mahomes did not make an NFL start until Week 17 of 2017 against Denver. Showing flashes of his rocket arm and extreme poise in that game, Mahomes was able to lead the Chiefs over the Broncos in a 27-24 win in Mile High. However, few expected the young QB to emerge into one of the faces and stars of the NFL so abruptly as he has this year. Coming into the game with 3,150 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a premier quarterback rating of 117.4, Mahomes has led Kansas City to 9 wins and gained a serious and legit case for MVP. Providing highlight after highlight, Mahomes has been unreal on the field this season and provided marquee moments to rise as one of the stars of this league, even throwing with both hands:
The Rams have indeed seen an offense worthy of competing with the talent of their own already this season, yet were soundly beat in Week 10 by Drew Brees and the red hot New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs pose similar threats that the Saints did to the Rams including a top running back capable of taking over a game (Kareem Hunt), a quarterback in an MVP type season (Mahomes), and a cast full of dangerous weapons on the outside (Kelce, Hill, and former Ram, Sammy Watkins). Yet, the Rams defense knows they must be up to the task come Monday night, and will need a few key plays offensively to change to course and momentum of the game.
The Rams were originally supposed to play this primetime game in Mexico City, but the league moved it back to Los Angeles because of poor field conditions that could have led to some dastardly injuries on a stage where stars are about to shine. In preparation for the game in Mexico, the Rams traveled to Colorado Springs to prepare for the high altitude that lies in Mexico City. However, even with the game being moved back to Los Angeles, the Rams stayed in Colorado at the Broadmoor Resort and found themselves bonding as a team. In fact, several players attended a Rockets vs Nuggets game the other night and found themselves connecting more as a team. Coach McVay explained the choice:
“We looked at it as another chance to kind of get away before the bye week, continue to connect as a team, where there’s not any real distractions.”
When the Rams return home this week, they will find themselves in the middle of a city that has been somewhat over a mess in the past week. However, following two recent tragedies in the Los Angeles area, the Rams hope to pull out a huge win not only for themselves, but the whole city. In fact, the Rams are even giving away free complimentary tickets to first responders and families affected by the past tragedies and the Rams are looking forward to pulling one out on what might be an emotional night. Rams quarterback, Jared Goff, explained the outlook of this team following the chaos that has been around them:
“It’s been a little bit wild for sure, but with that being said, there’s a lot more people dealing with a lot worse than what we’re dealing with right now.”
Jared Goff and the Rams hope to pull of a huge win this week on Monday Night Football (5:15, ESPN).
The Rams have tons of adversity that they must deal with right now, from a secondary that has been exposed in recent weeks to a city that is on edge. However, the constants for the Rams have continued to be their leaders: Goff, Gurley, and Donald. Carrying this team to 9 wins has not been a fluke and if the Rams want to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001, they will again have to rely on their stars. As the Chiefs come to town on Monday night, the stakes will be high and the fight will be tough, but at least the Rams have the necessary leadership in place to push through the difficult times of adversity, in a game and over the course of a season.
Keys to the Game: Containing Tyreek Hill and Limiting the Pass Rush of Kansas City
Chiefs WR, Tyreek Hill, has been a force this season in the passing game.
The Chiefs have a range of deadly offensive weapons, but none of them can get behind a defense as quickly as Tyreek Hill. Considered the fastest player in the NFL, Hill has piled up a stat line of 55 receptions, 891 yards, and 9 touchdowns, including a huge week last week against Arizona (7 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TDs). A better route runner than he was when he entered the NFL, Hill has turned into an elite WR in the league with his blazing speed, improving routes, and solid hands. Combine that with Mahomes rocket arm and you get results like this from last Sunday’s game against Arizona:
In order to limit the abilities of the Chiefs offense, the Rams must do everything in their power to stop big plays from Hill. As the Rams do rank 10th in the league against the pass and saw corner Marcus Peters have an improved game last week, the Rams can certainly limit Hill’s effectiveness if they stick to their assignments and communicate well on defense. This Chiefs offense is great, and there is little doubt about that. Yet the Rams must use a bend but don’t break approach against these Chiefs, and it must begin with them stopping Hill to a degree. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams should face little resistance in moving the ball down the field. The Chiefs pose the 28th ranked passing defense in the league, in addition to being the 22nd ranked rushing defense in the league. There is little doubt that Goff should have a field day with this defense, especially with safety, Eric Berry, still out with a heel injury. Gurley should also be able to run the ball effectively, adding even more to his league leading 988 rushing yards. However, the one area the Rams must be cautious of is the Chiefs’ defensive line. Coming off a game where they sacked Cardinals quarterback, Josh Rosen, 5 times, the Rams must be up to the challenge of stopping elite linemen such as Chris Jones, Dee Ford, and a now healthy, Justin Houston. If the Rams are unable to, Goff will have to use his legs to scramble out of the pocket or forced to step up, which could lead to potential game-altering plays should he fumble or make an unwise decision with the football. A key player to watch in this game is defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Suh piled up 5 tackles and .5 sack in last week’s game against Seattle and hopes to perform well again on Monday. Donald will be the focus of a very good Chiefs offensive line, which could open up 1 on 1 matchups for Suh to generate pressure on Patrick Mahomes (who is dealing with a slight foot injury). Suh is looking for a marquee game in a Rams uniform and look no further for him to potentially have his shining moment under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
Prediction: Chiefs (31) - Rams (33)
The Rams hope to secure win #10 on Monday.
This game is as hard as it gets when it comes to predicting. Patrick Mahomes has proven to be a big game player that flourishes under the lights in his so-far-short career and it would not be a surprise to see him once again put on a show. However, these Rams have seem determined to also play well in big games and the Coliseum should be electric on Monday night. These teams will play a pretty good 1st half on the defensive side of the ball and the score will be relatively small compared to what most people expected. Yet when the third quarter comes around, the offenses will come to life and put on a wild showdown in the second half. Look for former Chief, Marcus Peters, to have a good game, as long as he doesn’t get in his own head in facing his former team, and potentially make a big play for the Rams in picking off Mahomes to change the course of the game. Gurley will have a nice day, but Goff will use his California Cool mantra under pressure and deliver when the Rams need him to make big plays and convert on third down. Goff throws for three touchdowns, one to Gurley and two to WR Brandin Cooks, and the Rams are able to escape with a win on a go-ahead touchdown from Goff to Cooks late in the 4th quarter.