What Chiefs fans are saying

[LesBaker]

What a toxic fanbase lol. Such hatred for a former player.

I've seen worse from our own fans about our own players.

Way too many stupid people in that fanbase.

Nah not really, it's just enough!

 

[dang]

So the trend for Chiefs posters is to take pot shots at Rams players or coaches vs. pointing out the upside of their own players. That sounds less confident than defensive. Also - the Chiefs have a very formidable Offense but I truly believe the Rams already played the team that has the best Offense in the league in the Saints. My biggest concerns are covering Kelce and making Hunt run to the outside vs letting him run rampant through our middle.

And the biggest clown post has to be "It’s astonishing that the media says McVay is a better offensive coach than Andy. MCVAY HAS COPIED ANDY’S PLAYS AFTER HE IMPLEMENTED THEM AND MADE THEM POPULAR. I just want to scream that truth to every damn moron that doesn’t get it'. That's the NFL baby - its a copy cat league and don't be so nieve as to think Reid's success hasn't borrowed heavily from his mentors and predecessors. Dumb/dumb/dumb take.

 

[Liberator]

I've seen worse from our own fans about our own players.

On here? I haven't.

 

[OldSchool]

On here? I haven't.

I haven’t either. I’ve seen honest criticism but no open animosity like they have for Peters.

 

[Loyal]

Not reading these fukkers comments anymore until after the game...I'm gonna get my troll on, after the game on YouTube and Twitter..I am gonna be relentless....

 

[TSFH Fan]

Anyone bring up . . . ketchup-gate?


View: https://twitter.com/kmbc/status/1063154420685434881


View: https://twitter.com/MattConnerAA/status/1062745182259634177


View: https://twitter.com/TomKCTV5/status/1063134415671513088


View: https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1063514264261017601

 

[Prime Time]

https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2018/11/16/18088474/five-things-to-watch-as-the-chiefs-play-the-rams

Five things to watch as the Chiefs play the Rams
Is it a preview of Super Bowl LIII? Whether it is or not, it’s going to be a memorable Monday Night Football game!
By John Dixon

Here are five things to watch during the game:

1. Todd Gurley, Todd Gurley and Todd Gurley.

Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images

The Rams running back leads the NFL in touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing attempts, offensive touches and yards from scrimmage. He also leads the NFL in points scored — a statistic whose leaders are usually placekickers.

For the Rams in 2018, Gurley has accounted for 37 percent of the touches, 31 percent of the offensive yardage and 32 percent of the points. So for the Chiefs defense, stopping Gurley is paramount.

There’s just one problem: the Chiefs defense hasn’t consistently shown the ability to do that. As AP defensive analyst Craig Stout noted this week, the Chiefs did an excellent job stopping the run against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — but the Cardinals aren’t the Rams, and David Johnson isn’t Todd Gurley. And it’s not as if Johnson had no impact against the Chiefs. He had 183 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, thanks to 85 yards on seven catches.

Let’s be realistic: there’s probably no way to completely stop Gurley. So for the Chiefs, the smartest move may be to do what they can to limit Gurley’s impact on the game. In the Rams’ only loss — to the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago — Gurley had six receptions for only 11 yards. If the Chiefs can figure out a way to keep Gurley from being a receiving threat out of the backfield, that might be enough to keep Gurley from taking over the game.

2. Dirty Dan

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Since he was on injured reserve since before the season began, it’s now time for your yearly reminder that Dan Sorensen’s nickname wasn’t bestowed on him because he’s a dirty player. Instead, his teammates call him Dirty Dan because he’s always willing to do the dirty jobs nobody else wants to do.

I know a lot of Chiefs fans have little faith in Sorensen. I understand how they feel. Sorensen isn’t a flashy player. He made his place on the team by being an excellent special teams player — which the Chiefs value more than many other teams do — and being someone who has consistently done what he’s been asked to do. With all the problems the Chiefs have had this season getting defensive players on the same page in Bob Sutton’s defense, a player like Sorensen — whether he’s flashy or not — can make a big difference.

On Sunday against the Cardinals — his first game since returning from injured reserve — Sorensen was on the field for about half of the defensive snaps. The vast majority of them were on pass plays. With that under his belt — and an extra day to get up to full speed — it will be interesting to see how Sorensen is utilized against the Rams, and whether his presence makes a substantive difference.

3. Under pressure

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Rams quarterback Jared Goff is very good — in fact, he’s among the best in the league. But like many NFL quarterbacks, he’s less effective under pressure. In Goff’s case, he’s far less effective. So while it will be very important for the Chiefs to get pressure on Goff, they’re going to have to do it without blitzing, because Goff is also very good at taking advantage of teams that blitz him.

That puts pressure on the Chiefs defensive line to get the job done. It won’t be easy, because the Rams offensive line is very good. The good news for the Chiefs, however, is that their defensive line has been steadily improving — as our Matt Lane showed us this week — and in recent weeks, Chris Jones has been playing like a man possessed.

But what’s far more interesting in this matchup is how this works out going the other way. It’s reasonable to be concerned about Rams players such as Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suhas pass rushers against the Chiefs offensive line — but unless they can get home, it’s not going to matter. Patrick Mahomes’ effectiveness under pressure is hardly different than it is withoutpressure.

To put it another way... if both teams can mount an effective interior pass rush, the Chiefs will have the advantage.

4. The third pass catcher

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

At the beginning of the season, I really didn’t see this coming... but I love me some Sammy Watkins!

I love the way he gets open. I love the way he runs. I love the way he knocks defenders on their butts when he has the ball in his hands. I love his work ethic. And I love the way he’s become a team-first player on the third stop of his career.

It’s really kind of amazing. It wasn’t that long ago — a period of time measured in weeks — we were wondering not just whether Watkins would be worth the salary he was being paid, but whether he would even show up in the Chiefs offense.

Just on the basis of his personal production, he may never be worth the money. But I think it’s time to say that Watkins’ value isn’t just what his stat line shows — it’s how his presence on the field looks on everybody’s stat line. Watkins turns the Chiefs offense into one that no defense can adequately cover; there are simply too many offensive players for whom they must account. When Watkins is on the field, everybody gets a bigger piece of pie.

I would be tempted to say that it’s very hard to put a price on that, but as it turns out, you can put a price on it: it’s $48 million over three years. And it’s cheap at the price.

The Chiefs have allowed Watkins to take it easy since he injured his foot against the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. He was a limited practice participant on Thursday, but there is every indication he will start on Sunday.

On the other side of the matchup, pretty much the inverse is occurring. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp — their third receiver — has been placed on injured reserve after tearing an ACL in Week 10.

Just to clarify: Watkins is actually the Chiefs’ second wide receiver. But the Chiefs have Travis Kelce, while the Rams have no tight end that is a receiving threat. Watkins and Kupp are both third in receiving yards on their respective teams.

So the Chiefs are coming into this game with all of their primary receivers available — which makes them very difficult to defend against — while the Rams are coming in without the receiver who would make them hard to defend against. This looks like a significant advantage for the Chiefs.

5. The NFL’s big black eye

In recent years, the league has made a lot of colossal blunders. But this one is a doozy.

There is now speculation that the NFL must have known that the field at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was in poor condition before last weekend — if one of the events that so damaged the field was the Shakira concert held there on October 11, how could they not know? — but that’s an issue to be determined later.

We should at least be grateful that no NFL players will be injured on Monday night because of the league’s poor attention to detail.

For now, the facts are these: Monday’s game will now be played in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Tens of thousands of American fans — of both teams — have been seriously inconvenienced. Mexico City will take a major economic hit, and legions of Mexican NFL fans are rightfully furious over the foul-up. And the NFL has lost a lot of international goodwill and prestige — both of which it desperately desires — for not managing this situation better.

So now we’re left with this question: which team benefits the most?

It’s now an actual — rather than merely titular — home game for the Rams, but under these particular circumstances, there could very well be a lot of Chiefs fans in the stands for the game.

The Chiefs will have to travel to Los Angeles — like any other road game — but because the Rams traveled to Colorado Springs to train at a high elevation in preparation for playing in Mexico City, they will have had to travel twice before the game, which is something even road teams don’t usually do. Any way you slice it, the Rams have lost at least an extra day of critical preparation time for this game.

In the final analysis, this comes down to the experience of the two head coaches. Rams head coach Sean McVay is 32, and has been an NFL head coach for a period you can still measure in months — the same way new parents still refer to their infant’s age in months when they’re closing in on three years old. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is 60, and has been doing this for almost two decades.

Both coaches knew this would be a marquee game on their schedules. Where McVay made his mistake was in overemphasizing its importance. McVay — the youngster — saw was a tough game against a good team on the national stage; he felt he needed to get every possible advantage to win.

But old Andy has been around the block a couple of times. He knew the game was important, but it was still a regular-season contest against a non-conference opponent. Why pull out all the stops now, with more important division and conference games still to come — not to mention the postseason? As Reid often says, there is a time and a place for everything. In his judgment, this was neither the time or the place to treat this game as something that required more than his usual preparation.

Had the game been played in Mexico, McVay might have derived some advantage from moving his team to the thinner air of Colorado for a few days. But I think it’s fair to wonder if it would have been worth it in the long run. You can’t treat every game like the Super Bowl, or else you’ll collapse from exhaustion before you get there. Reid knows that, which is why he’ll not only have the advantage against the Rams on Monday, but against most other teams — from now until February.
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I'm hoping to see DOD out on the field a lot shadowing Gurley when he leaks out of the back field
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agree with DOD shadowing Gurley in passing situations, i think he might get exposed against the run though. will be a good test for him!

Will be interesting to see how they give Ford help defending the run. We know Rams love to run to the left. I think the key to the game will be if Houston gets the better of Whitworth or if its the other way around. But either way Ford will need some help with the edge.

But i think our skill players vs theirs is in our favor more than their skill players against ours…if that makes sense. should be a good game. LOTS of offense! Heavy dose of Gurley and Hunt i would imagine.
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Not sure how MP22 didn't make this list.
For better or worse, I think most Chiefs fans will be wanting to see how that matchup plays out.
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I know I am
Been watching a lot of Rams games and he gets beat quite a bit. I’m sure the Hill/MP matchup will be a lot of fun
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Since Peters ran his mouth about Mahomes
I’m looking forward to 22 going down in flames as he has all year!
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Even with the down year
I’m terribly nervous about playing him. This would be just the game for him to make a statement on the field.
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I'm going to be watching that O-line!
In addition to the "Under Pressure" need on the defensive side, I think we also need to see some tenacity from the offensive line. Donald and Suh are forces to be reckoned with and last week didn’t give me a whole lot of confidence in keeping Mahomes safe!
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I do think the o line for each team is key here.

Hate to say that our center is the key to the game but that is the one thing keeping me on the fence here.

If we punt like last week then there isn’t much hope to pull this one out.
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CHIEFS!!!!
The 6th Thing to Watch:
How many Chiefs KINGDOM will be in the stands
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I'm not convinced on the "Under Pressure" segment

Jared Goff’s passer rating under pressure is higher than Mahomes’ (Mahomes is somewhere below). Because Mahomes’ passer rating overall is higher than Goff’s, it seems to be that the dropoff under pressure is greater for Mahomes than it is for Goff.

Obviously Mahomes can pull off some magical stuff when he scrambles away from pressure out of the pocket. But I think it’s wrong to suggest there’s no drop-off for him when under pressure, or that there is a bigger drop off for Goff.
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so we did a great job stopping the run, except for their #1 RB who had his best game of the season?
There’s just one problem: the Chiefs defense hasn’t consistently shown the ability to do that. As AP defensive analyst Craig Stout noted this week, the Chiefs did an excellent job stopping the run against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — but the Cardinals aren’t the Rams, and David Johnson isn’t Todd Gurley. And it’s not as if Johnson had no impact against the Chiefs. He had 183 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, thanks to 85 yards on seven catches.
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The run defense is probably going to determine this game

it’s either going to be so bad it slows down the Rams enough they keep the ball longer (thus keeping Mahomes off the field) or it completely implodes and Gurley scores quick enough we keep ourselves in the game. Option 3 our run defense suddenly looks like we spent a ton of resources on it during the offseason.
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i think gurley is going to dominate us and we're not good enough to contain him running or recieving
what we need from the defense is the pass rush to get after goff and create a turnover or two. i dont expect much punting so the team that can steal an extra possession or two probably wins the game
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So #1 is Todd Gurley, Todd Gurley and Todd Gurley and #2 is Dan Sorensen
Lord have mercy

 

[jrry32]

Both coaches knew this would be a marquee game on their schedules. Where McVay made his mistake was in overemphasizing its importance. McVay — the youngster — saw was a tough game against a good team on the national stage; he felt he needed to get every possible advantage to win.

But old Andy has been around the block a couple of times. He knew the game was important, but it was still a regular-season contest against a non-conference opponent. Why pull out all the stops now, with more important division and conference games still to come — not to mention the postseason? As Reid often says, there is a time and a place for everything. In his judgment, this was neither the time or the place to treat this game as something that required more than his usual preparation.

Had the game been played in Mexico, McVay might have derived some advantage from moving his team to the thinner air of Colorado for a few days. But I think it’s fair to wonder if it would have been worth it in the long run. You can’t treat every game like the Super Bowl, or else you’ll collapse from exhaustion before you get there. Reid knows that, which is why he’ll not only have the advantage against the Rams on Monday, but against most other teams — from now until February.

Is this guy serious? Andy Reid has the advantage from now until February? The man is known for choking in the playoffs and late-season collapses. Being around for a long time doesn't give you the advantage over a better coach. Just look at Jeff Fisher. JFC. These fan writers can be so terrible.

 

[jrry32]

At least almost all of them have zero respect for our entire team. What a bunch of homers. Seriously, you have a good team chiefs fans we get it. We agree. But I’m looking forward to Goff dropping dimes all night long on them. Hope the chiefs are underestimating the rams as much as their fans are.

This would be the perfect game for the Goff from the Minnesota game this year to show up. He's been amazing in many games, but he was unstoppable that night. Boy would I love Goff shredding the Chiefs defense at will. Would love to see him shut up all the idiots out there who refuse to treat him like the QB he is.

 

[kurtfaulk]

I'm much more confident in the Chiefs defense stopping the Rams offense with our pass rush. Goff folds like origami under pressure.

hahaha, derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp.

.

 

[LesBaker]

This would be the perfect game for the Goff from the Minnesota game this year to show up. He's been amazing in many games, but he was unstoppable that night. Boy would I love Goff shredding the Chiefs defense at will. Would love to see him shut up all the idiots out there who refuse to treat him like the QB he is.

It would be so fun to see him get another 400 yard game with 3-4 TD's and no INT's.

He has a perfect passer rating on his resume already, this year against the Vikings that you mention, and getting another Monday night would close some mouths. 2 in one season, I don't think that's been done because I don't count Roethlisbergers game where he only threw it 16 times then sat down in a blowout win. The stat should have the 20 attempt qualifier.

So over 30 completions, over 400 yards and 4 td's for a perfect game is what I would like to see. And it would be great if a handfull of those passes had the announcers saying "wow, what a throw by Goff".

The world is watching so to speak. I want it to be a coming out party. This kid deserves it.

 

[jrry32]

I was curious how the Chiefs are at defending HBs. Y'all are going to laugh. They are literally the worst team in the NFL. Here's how they've fared this year:
David Johnson - 28 touches, 183 YFS, and 2 TDs
Chubb/Duke Johnson - 33 touches, 176 YFS, and 3 TDs
Lindsay/Booker - 34 touches, 213 YFS, and 1 TD
Mixon/Walton - 20 touches, 61 YFS, and 0 TDs
Michel/White/Barner - 38 touches, 214 YFS, and 2 TDs
Yeldon - 18 touches, 122 YFS, and 1 TD
Lindsay/Freeman/Booker - 24 touches, 160 YFS, and 2 TDs
Breida/Morris - 27 touches, 184 YFS, and 1 TD
Conner - 13 touches, 65 YFS, and 1 TD
Gordon/Ekeler - 33 touches, 292 YFS, and 1 TD

Basically, they've gotten torched by everyone but Steelers and Bengals. Yeah, I think taking away Todd Gurley is going to be easier said than done. Remember how some said they performed better against David Johnson last week? LOL. Let's look at the numbers:
21 rushes
98 yards
4.7 YPC
1 rushing TD
7 receptions
85 yards
1 receiving TD

Yep, that's actually performing better for them. And keep in mind that Johnson has posted bad numbers basically all year because of how bad that offense is. I hope Gurley goes for 150+ rushing, 80+ receiving, and 3+ TDs.

 

[RamBall]

I hope Gurley goes for 150+ rushing, 80+ receiving, and 3+ TDs.

That should be very doable for Gurley with Brown picking up another 70 YFS in mop up duty.

 

[LesBaker]

I was curious how the Chiefs are at defending HBs. Y'all are going to laugh. They are literally the worst team in the NFL. Here's how they've fared this year:
David Johnson - 28 touches, 183 YFS, and 2 TDs
Chubb/Duke Johnson - 33 touches, 176 YFS, and 3 TDs
Lindsay/Booker - 34 touches, 213 YFS, and 1 TD
Mixon/Walton - 20 touches, 61 YFS, and 0 TDs
Michel/White/Barner - 38 touches, 214 YFS, and 2 TDs
Yeldon - 18 touches, 122 YFS, and 1 TD
Lindsay/Freeman/Booker - 24 touches, 160 YFS, and 2 TDs
Breida/Morris - 27 touches, 184 YFS, and 1 TD
Conner - 13 touches, 65 YFS, and 1 TD
Gordon/Ekeler - 33 touches, 292 YFS, and 1 TD

Basically, they've gotten torched by everyone but Steelers and Bengals. Yeah, I think taking away Todd Gurley is going to be easier said than done. Remember how some said they performed better against David Johnson last week? LOL. Let's look at the numbers:
21 rushes
98 yards
4.7 YPC
1 rushing TD
7 receptions
85 yards
1 receiving TD

Yep, that's actually performing better for them. And keep in mind that Johnson has posted bad numbers basically all year because of how bad that offense is. I hope Gurley goes for 150+ rushing, 80+ receiving, and 3+ TDs.

Nice work @jrry32

 

[Prime Time]

View: https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1063615045681188865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1063615045681188865&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2F18099571%2Fa-whiteout-in-la-chiefs-to-wear-white-on-white-uniforms-against-the-rams

https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2018...rams-how-the-chiefs-defense-beats-los-angeles

Chiefs vs. Rams: How the Chiefs defense beats Los Angeles
Come down to the Lab to find out how the Chiefs can stop the Rams offense this week.
By Craig Stout

The defense put a hurting on a bad offense last week, but faces almost the polar opposite this week. The Rams throw many different things at a defense — pretty much exclusively out of the same 11 personnel. That means coordinators aren’t able to key on specific players or personnel, and with the Rams showing so many looks from so few alignments, defensive coordinators have their work cut out for them.

Quarterback Jared Goff — now in his third season — leads the Rams offense. He’s already over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He takes good care of the ball, too — having thrown just six interceptions so far. He’s an accurate quarterback that likes to throw the deep ball, and he typically avoids risky throws.

At running back, the Rams get to line up the best running back in the league: Todd Gurley. In his second year under McVay, Gurley is on pace for another year of over 2000 total yards and 19+ touchdowns. He’s fast, he’s strong and he’s agile. He’s just 100 percent ridiculous.

At wide receiver, the Rams just took a bit of a hit when they lost Cooper Kupp for the season. Despite missing some time, he had accounted for 20 percent of the Rams’ passing targets this season. He’ll be a huge loss.

The Rams will try to replace him with Josh Reynolds. Brandin Cooks is a good route runner and deep threat, and Robert Woods is a very good possession receiver that’s great with the ball in his hands. Tight end is the only position where the Rams regularly swap out personnel, with both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett getting plenty of looks in the offense.

The Rams offensive line is quite good, ranking first in the league in Football Outsiders Adjusted Line Yards formula. The interior of Roger Saffold, John Sullivan and Austin Blythe has paved the way to a league-best 5.5 ALY up the middle.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth is one of the best in the league, and the Rams rank first in runs to the left side of the line. Meanwhile, right tackle Rob Havenstein — along with the Chiefs’ very own Mitchell Schwartz — is among the best in the league. Havenstein hasn’t been penalized even once this season.

How to defend

Routes against single-high safety coverages


View: https://twitter.com/barleyhop/status/1063145921981173760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1063145921981173760&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2F18097394%2Fchiefs-vs-rams-how-the-chiefs-defense-beats-los-angeles

The Chiefs defense runs single high safety looks — Cover 1 or Cover 3 — roughly 72 percent of the time they see 11 personnel in the passing game. That includes end-of-the-game prevent defenses and soft zones on long down and distance situations. Unless Bob Sutton throws a change-up this week — similar to the Cincinnati Bengals game — we should expect to see a lot of single high again this week.

While the Rams are good attacking any coverage shell, they do an excellent job with finding space against middle of the field closed looks. In this play, the Rams motion across the formation and find that the defense is in man coverage. Off the snap, the boundary safety spins down as a robber and the defense is in a Cover 1 shell.

Cooks does well to beat the press routing him inside, and as he approaches the 10-yard mark in his route, he opens his hips like he’s running a post route across the face of the deep safety. That holds the deep safety inside, and Cooks makes a cut to the corner route. The opening is there for a deep throw to the corner, and Goff is able to hit it.


View: https://twitter.com/barleyhop/status/1063146589483454464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1063146589483454464&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2F18097394%2Fchiefs-vs-rams-how-the-chiefs-defense-beats-los-angeles

This is just a fantastic call against Cover 3. The strong side number one runs a 9 route, which occupies the cornerback in his deep-third zone. The tight end chips the rush, then runs an out route, which occupies the underneath zone defender. Kupp runs an up-and-out, and due to the route distribution, doesn’t have anyone covering him.

If the apex defender underneath had gotten more depth to track Kupp’s route and the hook had tracked the tight end’s out route, the weak-side number one coming across the formation would have come open with room to run. Even though Kupp is out, this is a play that any member of the Rams receiving corps can — and will — run.

If the Chiefs want to stay in their single high looks this week, running Sutton’s Cover 3 match concepts might prove effective. Bailing to the deep third helps protect against the Cover 1 corner route shown above, and the match ability underneath would be able to track those route distributions that would otherwise find space in the Cover 3 seams. Sutton has done that often enough this season that we just might see a heavy dosage of it this week.

Rub routes/pick plays


View: https://twitter.com/barleyhop/status/1063254793056120832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1063254793056120832&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2018%2F11%2F16%2F18097394%2Fchiefs-vs-rams-how-the-chiefs-defense-beats-los-angeles

One of the benefits of running condensed formations and bunches is the ability to create traffic that produce natural screens with route distributions. The Rams do it often — and to great effect — out of their tight bunches. Since the receivers are lined up so tight to the tackle box, crossing routes through the middle of the field against man coverage result in defenders having to fight through hook defenders while trying to track the Rams’ explosive receiving corps.

But it’s not just out of trips that the Rams run these pick routes. As shown here, they throw them out of just about every alignment they can. With Kupp lined up as an H-back, the Rams kick him out into the flat against Cover 1. As the defense is in man, Cooks runs a deep clear-out, and Woods runs a slant to pick the defensive back covering Kupp. Kupp is into space with the ball in his hands, and all he has to do is turn on the jets to get to the end zone.

It is absolutely paramount that the Chiefs switch or banjo this week. Even though the Chiefs implemented it regularly last year, Sutton hasn’t shown much of it this year. We saw last week that the Chiefs’ inability to switch cost them a touchdown against David Johnson and the Cardinals. That will cost them yardage and touchdowns if they’re unable to make that adjustment this week.

McVay is an absolute wizard at getting players open and making easier reads for Goff — regardless of who the receiver is on the other end. If the Chiefs aren’t able to switch and transition coverage out of these rub routes, they’ll be playing right into the Rams game plan.

Jet sweeps


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McVay loves to run jet sweeps. Expect five or six handoffs to Rams receivers throughout the course of Monday night’s game. What makes them more dangerous is that they run them out of condensed formations, which keeps the defense compressed.

On this play, Cooks motions to the short side of the field, making it a 2x2 alignment. The defense is in a 3-3 formation and has a single high safety with a box safety over the tight end on Cooks’ side of the field. Cooks runs the sweep and clears the play side edge, and he’s got the entire field to use his speed and get to the pylon before the two defensive backs can get off their blocks to pursue the ball carrier.

The Rams run so many jet sweeps that defenses have to respect every jet motion. And they run jet sweeps to just about every wide receiver on the roster. With a back like Gurley, it’s hard to commit to defending the jet sweep, as the Rams will absolutely prey on hesitation by the linebackers — especially if the defense is in the Chiefs’ preferred single high formations. Here, McVay took advantage of a tendency to play a box safety over the tight end — like the Chiefs do regularly — to shift the balance of the run defense away from the jet sweep.

The Chiefs are going to have to commit to stopping Gurley, so the force defenders out of these alignments are going to have to step up to make the stop, or prevent the receivers from using their speed in the open field. The Chiefs defensive backs and edge rushers will have to be very conscious of their keys and close quickly to turn these run plays back inside or make the stop.

Misdirection out of similar alignments


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The reason why the Rams offense is so difficult to defend is that they run largely similar alignments for the majority of the game, but will show a great many looks out of those alignments. For a defense, identifying a tendency pre-snap from McVay’s offense is nearly impossible.

Shown above are two plays from two consecutive drives by the Rams offense. In both, the Rams are lined up in a tight 3x1 alignment. The first shows Woods on an end around action, but the Rams hand the ball off to Gurley for a gain of nine while running at the bunch.

The back-side linebacker is frozen due to the end around action, and he’s unable to attack Gurley. On the second play, the Rams run a toss end around, with Gurley and Woods overlapping at the toss angle. This freezes the strong side linebackers, and it puts Woods in space on the run with a linebacker to beat.

The Rams will build on these concepts — out of the same alignments and motions — throughout the course of the game. It’s up to the defense to stay sound in their assignments, and try to limit the damage when the Rams do implement misdirection.

The defense will have opportunities to bring down the ball carrier in space if they stay true to their assignments against these misdirections — they just have to make sure they tackle securely to bring down the player and limit the yardage.

Goff under pressure


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One of the few weaknesses of the Rams offense is Goff’s inability to be effective outside the pocket. While that’s true of any quarterback, Goff is especially poor when he’s pushed off his spot and his rhythm is broken.

The Rams offensive line is very good, but Whitworth was still beaten inside a couple of times last week against the Seattle Seahawks. On this play, he oversets, and the rusher is able to cut back underneath the defender with an inside rip.

Goff hasn’t even hit the top of his drop before the rush flashes across his face. He panics and turns his back to the field, running into more pressure by the defensive tackle. As he’s being brought down, he spins and chucks an underhand pass into space.

As shown in these examples, the Rams implement lots of five- and seven-step drops to allow longer-developing routes to get open. Goff needs time to see these routes develop and to be able to hit the windows they create.

While the Rams will chip the Chiefs’ pass rushers with their tight ends, running backs and slot receivers, Dee Ford and Justin Houston should be able to find some minimal success with a good plan that sets up outside rushes with power counters. If Chris Jones can continue his high rate of play, Goff will abandon the play and make very ill-advised decisions.

The bottom line

We’re 2,000 words into this week’s post, and I’ve barely even scratched the surface of what the Rams do on offense. Hell, I’ve barely mentioned all-world running back Todd Gurley when going over the things McVay does schematically.

Gurley is going to get his, there’s no doubt. The Chiefs struggle to stop the run even without the window dressing that McVay puts on the run game — never mind the quality blocking that he’ll receive from a very good offensive line. I fully expect Gurley to have a day similar to or better than the one that David Johnson had last weekend against the Chiefs. He’s just too good to be held to less than that by this Chiefs defense.

The real question is if the Chiefs can keep the rest of the weapons on this defense in check. Leaning on their match coverages and switching out of picks and rubs will help nullify a lot of the Rams short passing game, as well as help protect against those routes attacking the Chiefs single-high looks. That extra split second that Goff may have to hold onto the ball might be the difference between Cooks with the ball in space and Goff running panicked out of the pocket.

We can’t pretend that Sutton is going to scheme a low-scoring game this week based on what we’ve seen in the 2018 season. The Rams are too explosive, dynamic, and well coached to really shut them down. However, if Sutton can get his players to stay assignment-sound on early downs against the Rams run game, the Chiefs might be able to force a few third-and-longs on Monday night — a spot where the Chiefs defense is having a nearly 70 percent success rate.

This game has a high likelihood of being a shootout, so getting a small handful of stops may be all that’s needed to win against one of the best offenses in the NFL. If Sutton throws a couple of wrenches in the mix against this Rams team, we might see just that.

And if this Chiefs defense holds the Rams under 28 points this week? We’re throwing a party in Bob Sutton’s honor.
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I was watching the weekly NFL playbook over this game and there was an EYE popping stat of the Rams defense.. they are giving up more than 5 ypc which is ridiculous. Your 28 point mark is a good number and I think we can do it but it’s going to come down to our offense playing methodical and cramming the ball down their throat. I also expect Andy to run much of what he did against that Jaguars defense…. aka tons of misdirection and motion early to tire that D out.
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I don't think either of these defenses can stop the other's offense with traditional approaches/schemes
and if that’s true, this is the week to mix things up defensively. Abandon the "bend don’t break" conservative approach for this one. I’d suggest some well timed safety blitzes and even some corner blitzes.

Anything that could potentially get a key sack or a key turnover could potentially decide the game by providing an extra possession for the offense. (Same applies for the Rams defense). If a big play results from a poorly timed blitz, oh well – you know the Rams are going to score on 5 or 6 drives regardless, right?
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The Rams offense has been very good picking up blitzes and hitting hot routes.
You’d get one or two, but I think you’re asking to start a track meet with that philosophy. It might be one anyway, but if there’s a game to try to hold the opposition to some field goals, this is it.
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Pressure with 4 defenders rushing will be the key.
I’ve noticed even before this article, (Very well written Craig) that Goff will take just a bit longer sometimes before throwing. He’s used to 3 to 4 seconds of clean pocket thanks to his O-Line.

If Ford/Houston/Jones/Bailey can get pressure, we’ll get a few stops. What we really need though is for the Offense to give us lead to keep them from just feeding Gurley in the run game over and over. We need 12+ pressures on the QB to win this one.
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It's not a terribly original opinion
but I think this game will come down to a single turnover.
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Really worried
About Gurley out of the backfield. We have been struggling with that. That’s all the Cardinals did!
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Yeah, he's likely going to rack up yardage there.
Might see a lot of 3 safety looks with Dan/Lucas spinning down against Gurley, similar to what Bob did against James White for a fair bit of the game.
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Chiefs are going to put up A LOT of points on Monday Night. If we keep rams under 35, we will have a good chance of winning the ball game.
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Worried about the O-line holding up against the Rams’ push up front and the Chiefs ability to constantly open up running lanes for Hunt and Ware.
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Fully agreed on the way to stop the Rams offense.
Dee, Houston, and Jones need to be beasts and make Goff uncomfortable. Gurley is going to get his regardless, so we have to get to Goff with four-man pressure.
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Thats easier said than done.
The times I have been watching the Rams this year, it looks a lot to me like the real star of that offense is the oline.

Goff seems pretty comfortable most of the time, and as good as Gurley is, he also seems to have pretty good running lanes open up for him quite a bit.

As a team, they just might have the best oline and dline in football.
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This analysis isn't giving me warm fuzzies on holding the Rams to 28 points.
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Why are most pundits automatically giving Sean Mcvay offensive genius staus?
He has not been in the league as a head coach but for 2 years? No playoff success. He hasn’t created a new offensive system or anything either. He seems like josh McDaniels/todd haley 2.0 to me.
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Apparently, the media loves smart young coaches with terrible facial hair
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He took the #32 offense in the league to #1 in an offseason
That’s amazing. He’s amazing. The fact that he’s young and is 0-1 in the playoffs doesn’t diminish his genius in the slightest.
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They were #32 because the team quit
They had talent they just gave up on the coach. It’s not like Sean Mcvay brought that immediately.
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McVay has been phenomenal so far. He lost his first playoff game, big deal.
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I have a feeling that the experience of sutton will come out in this game.
A good portion of the rams offense has been stolen from the chiefs. He said it himself. Bob has seen and prepared for it for 5 plus years
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Seems to my untrained eye (and about a hundred fifty other APers this week) that the best way of trying to slow the Rams down is to sell out trying to stop Gurley and to try, whenever possible, to get Goff off his spot.

I guess this means a lot of heavy metal up near the line of scrimmage, including the occasional Safety (loved Parker’s sack against the Cardinals last week) and the DBs will just have to hang on as best they can. If Gurley escapes, or Goff does manage to beat up on our undermanned secondary then that’s just too bad.
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If the Chiefs hold the Rams to 28, i will be ecstatic
Even though it takes 41 points in the NFL to defeat Patrick Mahomes.
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I just hope they dont score 40. Bob will not adjust and the rams will put up some serious numbers. We will see if our offense can out score them or will it be a replay for the Colts/Chiefs playoff game years ago. I just dont have much faith in Bob, I hope him and his defense proves me and must others wrong.
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Goff is not mobile and can’t throw on the run like Patty
We will get after him Monday. Book it. Chris Jones has another big game and dee ford continues his insane run. Kupp being out also takes away a familiar option and they don’t have a tight end that can take over.

Bend don’t break will work excellent against this team. All we have to do is stop Gurley in the red zone.
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Parker is going to get eaten alive
This game is why I’ve been so afraid of him being back there.
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I think were going to get 3 or 4 offside penalties.
David Johnson had a good game last week because we extended drives with penalities. I can see it happening again this week. I believe the Rams are going to have over 150 yards rushing. I guess the question is, can we get pressure on Goff?

If Sammy Watkins can play and be productive, we can keep up with the Rams even if we have to match scores.

Great post ! But it didn’t make feel confident that we will win the game.

 

[OldSchool]

I was watching the weekly NFL playbook over this game and there was an EYE popping stat of the Rams defense.. they are giving up more than 5 ypc which is ridiculous. Your 28 point mark is a good number and I think we can do it but it’s going to come down to our offense playing methodical and cramming the ball down their throat. I also expect Andy to run much of what he did against that Jaguars defense…. aka tons of misdirection and motion early to tire that D out.

So are the Chiefs you damned idiot!!!!

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

So now Donald is a hothead who is easily rattled, and Goff sucks?

These Chiefs fans really know their stuff.

 

[Liberator]

They had talent

hahahahhahahaha nope

 

[Ramlock]

What a fun thread!

Chiefs fans full of bbq, beer and bullshit...

More humor than Monty Python

 

[T-REX]

Thats easier said than done.
The times I have been watching the Rams this year, it looks a lot to me like the real star of that offense is the oline.