What the Rams can expect from the Chiefs...

What the Rams can expect from the Chiefs

Andrew Ortenberg

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

It’s almost here. The most anticipated game of the season is right around the corner, and it’ll soon be game day. The Los Angeles Rams will square off with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, and the entire football world will be watching. The Chiefs and their offense have taken the league by storm, and will present an even tougher test than Drew Brees and the Saints did a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s what the Rams can expect on both sides of the ball:

Offense

The Chiefs have arguably the best offense in the NFL, and one of the best in recent history. Patrick Mahomes has been nothing short of sensational in his first year as the starter and Andy Reid and the coaching staff have done a great job putting him in positions to be successful. Mahomes is on a record-setting pace, throwing 31 touchdowns and just seven interceptions thus far.

They also have a very solid and consistent ground game led by Kareem Hunt, that keeps defenses honest. But the real worry is, of course, the passing game. The Chiefs might have the best array of weapons in the league, with Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, and Hunt all being legit threats through the air.

Defending the deep pass has been a major problem for the Rams in recent weeks (looking at you Marcus Peters), and Hill and Watkins are two of the best deep threats in the game. This is a “revenge game” for Peters here, so perhaps he steps his game up, but it certainly won’t be surprising if he’s torched for a few big gains.


The blueprint Wade Phillips and the Rams’ defense should follow is the one laid by the Cardinals last week. While the Cardinals by no means shut the Chiefs’ offense down, they held Mahomes to his fewest yards of the season and by far his lowest QBR of the season.

They did this by blitzing a lot and playing a lot of tight press coverage against the Chiefs’ speedy receivers. Granted the Rams don’t have the edge rushers or talent in the secondary that Arizona does, but they should still try something similar. Getting pressure is the only chance this Rams defense has, and if it can get it consistently, it might be able to throw Mahomes off his game. Mahomes’ only other start of the season that wasn’t great came against the Broncos in Denver, who were also able to pressure him, so it’s clear what the Rams need to do.

Defense

The Chiefs defense has caught a lot of flak this season, and it’s not very good, but it’s also not quite as bad as some have made it seem. Their rushing defense is abysmal, giving up the third-most yards per carry in the league, but defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has made it quite clear that’s mostly by design.

The run defense has also gotten a little bit better in recent weeks, limiting the Cardinals to just 3.8 yards per rush attempt and the Browns to just 4.1 the week before that. That being said, it’s still the glaring weakness of the unit, and where the Rams will need to attack.

The Rams’ offense is at its best when Todd Gurley is running well, it sets up the play action Sean McVay loves to run, and Gurley should have plenty of success here. If Gurley can have a big day on the ground, it will let the Rams control the pace of the game and keep Mahomes off the field, which is the key to throwing the Chiefs’ offense off its rhythm.


The one thing the Chiefs do pretty well is rush the passer. They’re tied for the most sacks in the league with 31, and that could pose some trouble for Jared Goff. Dee Ford and Justin Houston are both very talented pass-rushers, and will be a lot to handle for the Rams’ offensive line.

That’s not the only talent this Chiefs defense has. They also have defensive tackle Chris Jones, one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, and Kendall Fuller, one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. Where the Chiefs really lack talent is at the outside cornerback positions and the safeties.

Assuming Goff has time to throw, he should be easily able to exploit this secondary. Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods will have no problem burning former Cowboys and Redskins castoff Orlando Scandrick on the outside, and all the Rams’ pass catchers should have a big day.

The bottom line:

This Chiefs team is obviously dangerous and will be extremely hard to beat. That being said, there are ways to attack them on both sides of the ball. The Rams need to get pressure on Mahomes and whether or not they can do that will likely determine the outcome of this game. Kansas City’s defense isn’t as bad as it is made out to be, and their pass-rush could pose serious problems for the Rams’ offense.