Are the Detroit Lions actually good? I still can't really tell. After a Week 1 sister-kisser with an Arizona Cardinals squad that still has zero wins, Detroit went on to beat the Chargers and Eagles. I expected both those teams to play well this year and have an advantage against the perennially underwhelming Lions, so count me as one of many NFL fans wondering if they wrote Detroit off too early this time. Do they have the talent on-board to stay afloat in the NFC playoff race throughout this season, and do they have what it takes to win against our Kansas City Chiefs today? Probably not, and no.
Saying that Detroit isn't Super Bowl-bound is not the hottest take of the week, but Chiefs Kingdom should be aware that their squad already faced a tougher test last Sunday when the Fightin' Lamars came to Arrowhead.
The Baltimore Ravens challenged KC with a stout defense and a mobile QB with a bright future and something to prove. Even after losing to our Chiefs last week, the Ravens still lead the league in yards per game. The Lions rank 12th. The key to victory against Kansas City must be to run the ball through KC's porous interior defense, right? The Ravens also lead the NFL in rushing yards per game, while Detroit is 18th. Perhaps Matthew Stafford can attack the Chiefs' weak spots in the secondary with more success than Lamar Jackson, but not even that is guaranteed. The Lions' 269 passing yards per game is 11th-best in the league right now, while Baltimore's 295 is 7th-best.
The Lions deserve credit for edging out tough competition for some early-season victories that fostered real hope for fans in the Motor City. Truth is, if they can look good in defeat much like Baltimore did last week, they can hold on to much of that hope moving forward. This Chiefs squad moved past talking about hope long ago, however. They expect to dominate throughout the year, and for good reason. If I can't decide whether or not KC's opponent is an above-average team, the Chiefs expect to take care of business against said opponent. The mindset with Mahomes at the helm is to achieve greatness, which makes now a truly great time to be a citizen of Chiefs Kingdom.
Doug LaCerte will soon be searching through Twitter and Facebook for retirement tributes to the great Ned Yost, and you better believe he's gonna cry a little. Thank you for the memories, Ned. Kansas City will always love you.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Sunday, September 22, 2019
KC Finally Faces Formidable Foe for Arrowhead Homecoming
Our Kansas City Chiefs looked like a mess at the start of last week's face-off with the rival Oakland Raiders, but it only took one quarter for reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes to wipe the short-lived grin off Jon Gruden's smug face. KC faces a tougher test today, however, as the Chiefs come home to host the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead. National NFL media is pushing this game as a potential AFC Championship preview, but don't be too sure of that this early in the season. Are the Ravens really legit, and what elements of KC's squad will matter most in today's game?
Baltimore's ability to block Chris Jones could be a big factor today. CJ was a consistent presence last week in Oakland with three hits on Derek Carr, a sack and a tackle-for-loss. Jones and the rest of KC's interior defense struggled to stop the run, however. They'll have their hands full today when the league's best rushing offense comes to KC. Oakland's Josh Jacobs racked up 99 yards on just 12 rushes against the Chiefs last week. Lamar Jackson alone ran for 120 yards in Week 2 when Baltimore beat Arizona. The Ravens as a team average 38.5 more rushing yards per game than the next-best running team in football.
The Ravens look great, but they haven't played a decent team yet this year. Baltimore destroyed the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, but Miami has been outscored by 92 total points in just two games. The Ravens went on to win a tight game last week against the Arizona Cardinals - a team with a new, constantly criticized head coach and a rookie QB who was chosen first overall in the most recent draft. Arizona is still relatively unknown, too, and after tying the perennially sub-par Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the season, many justifiably wrote them off as a squad that's still well below-average.
The Chiefs probably haven't played a playoff-caliber team this year either, but KC's deep run in last year's playoffs proved their legitimacy. The entire country already knows Mahomes and the Chiefs are legit, but big questions still surround Baltimore. I like our Chiefs' chances to win, but you also won't find me putting any cash on KC at Bovada today. A five-point spread in a game against such a tough-to-gauge team as Baltimore makes me too scared to drop any dough this time around. This should be a fun one to watch and yet another intriguing test for a confident KC team that should come into Arrowhead eager to prove themselves against formidable opposition.
Doug LaCerte is too busy playing Madden and Rimworld to properly beg for people to follow him on Twitter or like his posts on Facebook.
Baltimore's ability to block Chris Jones could be a big factor today. CJ was a consistent presence last week in Oakland with three hits on Derek Carr, a sack and a tackle-for-loss. Jones and the rest of KC's interior defense struggled to stop the run, however. They'll have their hands full today when the league's best rushing offense comes to KC. Oakland's Josh Jacobs racked up 99 yards on just 12 rushes against the Chiefs last week. Lamar Jackson alone ran for 120 yards in Week 2 when Baltimore beat Arizona. The Ravens as a team average 38.5 more rushing yards per game than the next-best running team in football.
The Ravens look great, but they haven't played a decent team yet this year. Baltimore destroyed the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, but Miami has been outscored by 92 total points in just two games. The Ravens went on to win a tight game last week against the Arizona Cardinals - a team with a new, constantly criticized head coach and a rookie QB who was chosen first overall in the most recent draft. Arizona is still relatively unknown, too, and after tying the perennially sub-par Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the season, many justifiably wrote them off as a squad that's still well below-average.
The Chiefs probably haven't played a playoff-caliber team this year either, but KC's deep run in last year's playoffs proved their legitimacy. The entire country already knows Mahomes and the Chiefs are legit, but big questions still surround Baltimore. I like our Chiefs' chances to win, but you also won't find me putting any cash on KC at Bovada today. A five-point spread in a game against such a tough-to-gauge team as Baltimore makes me too scared to drop any dough this time around. This should be a fun one to watch and yet another intriguing test for a confident KC team that should come into Arrowhead eager to prove themselves against formidable opposition.
Doug LaCerte is too busy playing Madden and Rimworld to properly beg for people to follow him on Twitter or like his posts on Facebook.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Will KC's Defense Look Better Against Rival Raiders In Week 2?
An intriguing challenge for our Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 seemingly became less intriguing when Nick Foles left the game and seemingly erased the Jacksonville Jaguars' realistic hopes for victory. However, rookie backup QB Gardner Minshew completed his first 13 pass attempts and the Jags finished the day with 428 total yards. a . Minshew was the 2018 PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and his story is legit, so perhaps he's better than many in Chiefs Kingdom had presumed (myself included). Still, members of that new Chiefs defense must've been shaking their heads after allowing an unheralded sixth-round pick to earn a 122.5 Quarterback Rating.
Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr earned a 121 Quarterback Rating against the Denver Broncos last week. Even though I call him mean nicknames for my own amusement on a regular basis, Carr is a veteran QB who just led his squad to a win over a division rival with a solid defense. His offensive line also stopped the intimidating duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and the rest of the Denver D from sacking Carr a single time. Chiefs Kingdom is justifiably scared about both the secondary and the edge rushing capability of this freshly rebuilt KC defense, so this looks like another setup for a fitting test.
My focus is clearly on the defensive side of the ball for the next chapter of this recently lopsided rivalry because it's still easy to be confident about KC's offense. Tyreek Hill is tough to replace, but the Chiefs just so happened to spend their first-round pick with the motive of replacing Tyreek Hill for several weeks. This should somewhat ease the minds of Chiefs fans everywhere, as we can once again be confident about rolling into Oakland with a high-octane offense. Add the Jonathan Abram injury to the mix, and we've got the makings for Mahomes Magic and a lot of points on the board. My only concern would be keeping Patrick safe from Clelin Ferrell and Company. Let's see how the Mahomes-Mecole Connection feels, and let's see how KC's defense bounces back from their uninspiring start to the season.
Doug LaCerte is currently too busy looking at Gardner Minshew memes to care about Twitter or Facebook.
Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr earned a 121 Quarterback Rating against the Denver Broncos last week. Even though I call him mean nicknames for my own amusement on a regular basis, Carr is a veteran QB who just led his squad to a win over a division rival with a solid defense. His offensive line also stopped the intimidating duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and the rest of the Denver D from sacking Carr a single time. Chiefs Kingdom is justifiably scared about both the secondary and the edge rushing capability of this freshly rebuilt KC defense, so this looks like another setup for a fitting test.
My focus is clearly on the defensive side of the ball for the next chapter of this recently lopsided rivalry because it's still easy to be confident about KC's offense. Tyreek Hill is tough to replace, but the Chiefs just so happened to spend their first-round pick with the motive of replacing Tyreek Hill for several weeks. This should somewhat ease the minds of Chiefs fans everywhere, as we can once again be confident about rolling into Oakland with a high-octane offense. Add the Jonathan Abram injury to the mix, and we've got the makings for Mahomes Magic and a lot of points on the board. My only concern would be keeping Patrick safe from Clelin Ferrell and Company. Let's see how the Mahomes-Mecole Connection feels, and let's see how KC's defense bounces back from their uninspiring start to the season.
Doug LaCerte is currently too busy looking at Gardner Minshew memes to care about Twitter or Facebook.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Chiefs Face Intriguing Week 1 Test In Jacksonville
Meaningful Kansas City football returns today, Chiefs Kingdom. We all want to see our reigning MVP go wild, but I'm actually more excited to see KC's torn-down, rebuilt defense face off against an improved Jacksonville Jaguars offense. We'll inevitably be amazed by Patrick Mahomes again and again, but we already knew that coming into the season. The Chiefs' defense gives us no such certainty, especially in Week 1 against a Jacksonville squad that KC cannot underestimate.
The Jags ranked 27th in yards per game and 31st in points per game last season, but veteran Super Bowl champ Nick Foles will look like a Hall of Famer to Jacksonville fans after their previous ugly experiences. A healthy Leonard Fournette is a great Week 1 test for the Chiefs' new run-stuffing strategies. He's one of the league's best when he's on his game, and KC's new 4-3 defense will need to limit backs like Fournette in order to be successful. That's no easy task for a group that has never played a meaningful game together.
At no fault of its own, this defense lacks an identity. Edge rush threat Frank Clark brings an impressive four-season resume with him, along with some of that Legion of Boom mystique, but he's in a new place with a new coach and system for the first time in his career. It's tough to say whether or not he can improve upon his 13 sack season in 2018. The much-maligned secondary saw dramatic alterations as well. On paper, they're better this season, but can newcomers like Tyran Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland mesh with Kendal Fuller and Company this early in the season? Nobody knows yet, but I'm excited to learn more.
New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that his mission is to once again upend the New England Patriots' chances at a Super Bowl. However, to give the Chiefs solid seeding in the playoffs, Spags and KC need to win consistently against good-not-great teams like Jacksonville. The majority of the football world would wager that KC's defense will improve this year, but today we'll see what the new unit is capable of when it actually matters. With the Chiefs' potentially record-breaking offense and consistently stellar special teams play, the Kansas City defense will be the biggest worry for the Kingdom. The speed in which that group of guys finds cohesion factors heavily into the Chiefs' chances to go all the way this season.
In just minutes, we get to witness Chapter One of a story that could conclude in Super Bowl glory. Soak that in and have fun today.
Doug LaCerte is a freelance sportswriter with a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that he likes to neglect equally.
The Jags ranked 27th in yards per game and 31st in points per game last season, but veteran Super Bowl champ Nick Foles will look like a Hall of Famer to Jacksonville fans after their previous ugly experiences. A healthy Leonard Fournette is a great Week 1 test for the Chiefs' new run-stuffing strategies. He's one of the league's best when he's on his game, and KC's new 4-3 defense will need to limit backs like Fournette in order to be successful. That's no easy task for a group that has never played a meaningful game together.
At no fault of its own, this defense lacks an identity. Edge rush threat Frank Clark brings an impressive four-season resume with him, along with some of that Legion of Boom mystique, but he's in a new place with a new coach and system for the first time in his career. It's tough to say whether or not he can improve upon his 13 sack season in 2018. The much-maligned secondary saw dramatic alterations as well. On paper, they're better this season, but can newcomers like Tyran Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland mesh with Kendal Fuller and Company this early in the season? Nobody knows yet, but I'm excited to learn more.
New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that his mission is to once again upend the New England Patriots' chances at a Super Bowl. However, to give the Chiefs solid seeding in the playoffs, Spags and KC need to win consistently against good-not-great teams like Jacksonville. The majority of the football world would wager that KC's defense will improve this year, but today we'll see what the new unit is capable of when it actually matters. With the Chiefs' potentially record-breaking offense and consistently stellar special teams play, the Kansas City defense will be the biggest worry for the Kingdom. The speed in which that group of guys finds cohesion factors heavily into the Chiefs' chances to go all the way this season.
In just minutes, we get to witness Chapter One of a story that could conclude in Super Bowl glory. Soak that in and have fun today.
Doug LaCerte is a freelance sportswriter with a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that he likes to neglect equally.
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