The Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) will take on the (2-6) New York Jets Sunday afternoon in an AFC showdown. The game kicks off at 12:00 PM Arrowhead time and will be broadcast on CBS.
The Chiefs, losers of two straight, lost a heartbreaker last week, 28-24 to the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs controlled most of the game, but a fourth-quarter offensive meltdown and major defensive breakdowns let the Broncos snatch a late victory.
The Jets also lost last week, falling to the Las Vegas Raiders 38-33. With three
straight losses, the Jets are among the bottom dwellers in the AFC, despite having a roster with quality talent in multiple critical positions.
The Chiefs need a win to keep pace in the AFC standings, while the Jets are seeking a signature win for second-year head coach Aaron Glenn:
Here are five things to watch
1. Emmett Johnson’s usage
This season, Johnson has shown flashes of the player he can become, but this week against Denver, he exploded onto the scene with a massive game. With 145 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, he was voted NFL Rookie of the Week.
Johnson had been quiet up to this point in terms of production, but his ability to break tackles had drawn attention and was on full display as he ran all over the Denver defense.
Johnson is the Chiefs’ third-leading receiver behind only Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice, ahead of players like Xavier Worthy and Noah Gray. The Chiefs offense needs help not only finding explosive playmakers, but also finding consistent playmakers.
Johnson can be both, and the Chiefs should get him the ball more often.
2. Stuffing Braelon Allen
Jets star running back Breece Hall was a full participant in Thursday’s practice after being on the Reserve/Injured list since Week 3. The Jets’ run game didn’t skip a step, and his backup Braelon Allen has stepped in and stepped up.
Allen has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games and has been the driving force in New York’s offense.
Allen is poised for a bright career, but Kansas City should be able to stop him. The Chiefs’ defense currently ranks 8th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 96.3. Linebacker Nick Bolton is tied for 10th in the NFL this season with 68 total tackles and will play arguably the biggest role in stopping Allen on Sunday.
Allen may be young, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo made sure to give him his due in Thursday’s media availability.
I think he looks (Ravens RB) Derrick Henry-ish to me sometimes,“ Spags described Allen. ”He’s a big guy. So, we’ve got to be on point tackling.”
If Hall does indeed return, it will be interesting to see how the Jets divide their touches against the Chiefs.
3. Rookie edge rushers
This week will feature two of the NFL’s premier rookie pass rushers.
The Jets defense will feature No. 2 overall draft pick David Bailey coming off the edge, while the Chiefs more so rotate in second-round pick R Mason Thomas.
Bailey was the cream of the crop for pass rushers in this past year’s draft and is already the Jets’ best pass rusher, with 5.5 sacks so far this season. Bailey (groin) missed last week with an injury, but he practiced in full on Thursday and is trending toward playing Sunday.
Bailey will draw most of the headlines, but the Chiefs have their own young, budding pass rusher.
While Thomas has been a rotational player for the Chiefs so far this season, he has been productive and disruptive on the snaps he has seen.
The Chiefs only have nine sacks as a team so far this season, and defensive end George Karlaftis is the only player with more than one. Thomas has seen a slight dip in snaps the last two weeks, but the Chiefs should look to up his pass-rush looks, especially on obvious passing downs.
Both offensive lines will have their work cut out, and each rookie rusher can change the game for their team.
4. Field Goal unit
At this point in the season, it is not a matter of whether Harrison Butker will miss a kick; it is a matter of when, and that thought should linger in the Chiefs’ minds when they get into fourth-down situations across midfield.
Butker missed a critical kick late in the game in Denver, allowing the Broncos to turn around and quickly take the late lead. Many suspected it could be the end of Butker in Kansas City, but this week the Chiefs coaching staff stood behind their long-time kicker.
“You exhaust every possibility to get this guy right, Toub told reporters on Thursday. ”And that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re not just going to pull the plug.”
“Butker’s our kicker,” Toub continued. ‘He’s on our team, and we’re paying Butker. And Butker has won a lot of football games for us. Butker is a champion. And he deserves the right to be exhausted on this thing, and we’re going to exhaust every possibility with him.”
Regardless of the confidence, fourth-down situations will get even more interesting once the Chiefs get past midfield. I would expect to see the Chiefs punt in fourth-and-long situations this week if they do get into what was once Butker’s range. The team ranks 17th in the league with a 53.85% conversion rate on fourth down, and it will be interesting if they decide to attack these situations moving forward.
5. A potential quarterback sneak?
Short-yardage ineptitude led to disaster for the Chiefs’ offense last week, and this week speculation rose about an ongoing issue.
Mahomes has not run a quarterback sneak since a freak injury in October 2019, and while the team has run it with other players taking the snap, they haven’t shown the look in quite some time.
In Denver, the Chiefs failed on three straight snaps from the one-yard line, and this week both Mahomes and Reid were questioned about the willingness to run a quarterback sneak.
The Chiefs brass did their best to dispel the notion that they were afraid to let Mahomes sneak the ball in short-yardage situations, but their actions say otherwise.
An early November matchup against the Jets might not be the time for Mahomes to reintroduce the quarterback sneak, but it will be worth watching how the Chiefs handle short-yardage situations.
