Patriots opponent preview: Chiefs still a powerhouse despite recent struggles

[PatNation]

Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images The Patriots will host the 8-5 Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The New England Patriots were originally supposed to play a second straight primetime game in Week 15, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. However, their matchup with the reigning world champions were flexed out of that slot and moved into Sunday afternoon. Why? A look at the Chiefs entering the contest as 9.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook gives us a clue. The Patriots’ issues this season and 2-9 record at the time of the flexing decision in late November have forced the league’s hand. And with New England still just 3-10 versus the 8-5 Chiefs, things are not looking a whole lot more competitive right now. That being said, the old “any given Sunday” mantra still rings true. And with that all said, let’s take a closer look at New England’s Week 15 opponent: its players, coaches, key stats, injuries, and more. Chiefs key stats For year, the Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid were known for their offensive prowess rather than their defensive abilities. However, in 2023, that is not entirely true: the Kansas City defense has been among the stingiest in the game, and is actually out-ranking the offense in points and yards per game. With the unit one of the best in the league so far, and the offense still more than adequate, it is no surprise to see the club again atop the AFC West and with an impressive scoring differential.

• Record: 8-5 (1st AFC West)
• Offense: 22.5 points/game (11th), 361.3 yards/game (7th), 0.055 EPA/play (7th)
• Defense: 17.5 points/game (3rd), 299.9 yards/game (6th), -0.049 EPA/play (11th)
• Scoring differential: +64 (6th)
• Turnover differential: -7 (t-27th)

For as good as the Chiefs look statistically, they are in a bit of a lull at the moment. Having lost three of their four games since their bye week, their status as the AFC’s top dog is in question. Turnovers in particular can be heard loudly screaming, “I’m the problem, it’s me.” At -7, Kansas City is only slightly better in this department than the 30th-ranked Patriots (-9); quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing 11 interceptions and losing a pair of fumbles contributed to this number, as has a defense that has been unable to consistently come up with takeaways despite its otherwise stellar play. At it all up, and you get a team that is still very much a powerhouse but seemingly not on the same level as years past — at least at the moment. Chiefs 53-man roster (Note: Roster up-to-date as of Wednesday, 7 a.m. ET; *indicates projected starter) Quarterback (2): Patrick Mahomes* (15), Blaine Gabbert (9) Running back (3): Isiah Pacheco* (10), Jerick McKinnon (1), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) Wide receiver (6): Rashee Rice* (4), Skyy Moore* (24), Marquez Valdes-Scantling* (11), Justin Watson (84), Kadarius Toney (19), Richie James (17 | KR | PR) Tight end (3): Travis Kelce* (87), Noah Gray (83), Blake Bell (81) Offensive tackle (4): Donovan Smith* (79 | LT), Jawann Taylor* (74 | RT), Wanya Morris (64), Lucas Niang (77) Interior offensive line (5): Joe Thuney* (62 | LG), Creed Humphrey* (52 | C), Trey Smith* (65 | RG), Nick Allegretti (73), Mike Caliendo (66) Interior defensive line (5): Chris Jones* (95), Derrick Nnadi* (91), Tershawn Wharton (98), Matt Dickerson (93), Neil Farrell Jr. (92) Defensive edge (6): George Karlaftis* (56), Mike Danna* (51), Felix Anudike-Uzomah (97), Charles Omenihu (90), Malik Herring (94), B.J. Thompson (53) Off-the-ball linebacker (7): Willie Gay* (50), Drue Tranquill* (23), Nick Bolton (32), Leo Chenal (54), Jack Cochrane (43), Cam Jones (44), Darius Harris (59) Cornerback (6): L’Jarius Sneed* (38), Trent McDuffie* (22), Jaylen Watson (35), Joshua Williams (2), Ekow Boye-Doe (40), Nic Jones (31) Safety (3): Justin Reid* (20), Mike Edwards* (21), Chamarri Conner (27) Specialists (3): Harrison Butker (7 | K), Tommy Townsend (5 | P | H), James Winchester (41 | LS) Offensively, the Chiefs remains the Patrick Mahomes/Travis Kelce Show. The two future Hall of Famers are as good a quarterback-receiver duo as any in football, and the driving force behind a Kansas City offense that has had its problems this year. Despite the group as a whole lacking the same high-end talent it might have had in years past, Mahomes can still rely on his tight end to make plays. The two have hooked up 80 times for 896 yards and five touchdowns this season, with only wide receiver Rashee Rice (6) catching more scores from the team’s quarterback this season. Rice, a second-round draft pick out of SMU, has been a find for the team in this year’s draft. Together with running back Isiah Pacheco — the team leader in touches (209), scrimmage yards (988) and total scores (7) — he forms the young core of Mahomes’ supporting cast. Still, in critical situations, Kelce is his go-to option. Defensively, Chris Jones is the big name; the All-Pro defensive tackle remains one of the top interior linemen in football. He is joined by edges George Karlaftis and Michael Danna to give Kansas City the most disruptive pass rush in the league when measured in pressure rate (28.9%). The play on all three levels has been solid, though, with players all over the defense performing at a high level inside coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s aggressive scheme. Similar to the Patriots, Kansas City may lack a lot of star power on this side of the ball but is coached well and therefore able to compete against any opponent. Chiefs reserves Roster exemption (1): WR Justyn Ross (8) Practice squad (16): S Deon Bush (26), TE Matt Bushman (89), LB Cole Christiansen (48), DT Keondre Coburn (99), S Tyree Gillespie (42), RB Keaontay Ingram (30), ED Truman Jones (57), OT Darian Kinnard (75), QB Chris Oladokun (13), DT Mike Pennel Jr. (69), RB La’Mical Perine (29), WR Cornell Powell (14), RB Deneric Prince (34), C Austin Reiter (61), CB Keith Taylor (39), WR Montrell Washington (12) Practice squad international (1): OT Jason Godrick Injured reserve (6): S Bryan Cook, TE Jody Fortson, WR Mecole Hardman, S Nazeeh Johnson, WR Nikko Remigio, OT Prince Tega Wanogho Practice squad injured reserve (1): TE Gerrit Prince One of the secrets behind the Chiefs’ success this season has been their ability to stay healthy. The most notable name is safety Bryan Cook, who was placed on injured reserve last week after starting the first 12 contests of the season. His absence is significant, but the only really big one as far as the overall composition of the team is concerned. When it comes to roster-exempt wide receiver Justyn Ross, he just returned off the commissioner’s exempt list following a recent arrest. There is a chance he returns to the 53-man team ahead of Sunday’s game. Chiefs coaching staff Head coach: Andy Reid Coordinators: Matt Nagy (OC), Steve Spagnuolo (DC), Dave Toub (ST/Assistant head coach) Offensive assistants: Joe Bleymaier (Pass game coordinator), David Girardi (QB), Dan Williams (QB assistant/Quality control), Todd Pinkston (RB), Porter Ellett (RB assistant), Connor Embree (WR), Tom Melvin (TE), Anddy Heck (OL), Corey Matthaei (OL assistant), Kevin Saxton (Assistant) Defensive assistants: Joe Cullen (DL), Terry Bradden (DL assistant), Brendan Daly (LB/Run game coordinator), Ken Flajole (OLB), Dave Merritt (DB), Donald D’Alesio (S), Rod Wilson (Assistant), Alex Whittingham (Quality control) Special teams assistants: Andy Hill (Assistant) Now in his 11th season in Kansas City, Andy Reid remains one of the best coaches in the game — a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who is as good as any body when it comes to designing, coaching and calling plays especially on the offensive side of the ball. The counter-weight to him is the aforementioned Steve Spagnuolo running his defense. When it comes to the assistants, Patriots fans might be familiar with one name in particular: Linebackers coach and run game coordinator Brendan Daly, who won three championships as a member of Bill Belichick’s staff and has since added two more rings after making the move to Kansas City in 2019. In fact, Daly has coached in seven of the last nine Super Bowls.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/13/2 ... ies-roster