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in Regeln und Informationen 12.01.2019 03:39von chenyan94 • Genin | 167 Beiträge
to our YouTube channel here. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.It’s an important AFC game with playoff implications for both teams — and here are five things to watch:1. Irresistible force... meet immovable objectTommy Gilligan-USA TODAY SportsThe Chiefs have played some good defenses this season.They’ve played three of the top 10 scoring defenses and beaten two of them.They’ve beaten three of the top 10 in total yardage allowed and three of the top 10 in yards allowed per play.They’ve already had six of the top 10 teams in net yards per passing attempt on their schedule and emerged victorious against five of them.Four of the top 10 in drive-scoring percentage have fallen to the Chiefs.The Ravens are ranked first in every one of those statistical categories.To put it simply Harrison Butker Jersey , the Ravens defense does just about everything well.But it does have a few weaknesses.Only one defensive unit has forced fewer turnovers, so it’s not unsurprising that only one defense has a lower interception percentage.They’re good at getting quarterback pressures and sacks but not great.You could say that the Ravens are sort of the antithesis of the modern NFL defense.What do I mean by that?If you’ve been keeping track of the media buzz about the NFL’s “offensive explosion” this season, you know the theory: that it’s now possible to build a championship-caliber team with a high-powered offense and an average (or even weak) defense — as long as that defense can create turnovers and sacks that will stop enough of your opponent’s drives that you can outscore them.In short... a team like the Kansas City Chiefs.So in this matchup, we have a team built on the modern model facing an old-school top-tier defense — exactly the kind of game that many Chiefs fans have been worried about having to play in the postseason.And it will be played in near-playoff conditions: in cold weather, with a lot on the line for both teams.Should the Chiefs win, it will help validate the newfangled theory.But should they lose, those who have been worrying about the Chiefs in the postseason will have even more sleepless nights ahead of them in January.2. The new Ravens offenseDale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsThrough Week 6, the Ravens were 4-2 — including victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos.But then came games against the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and their second division game with the Steelers.The Ravens lost all three — and to make matters worse, starting quarterback Joe Flacco suffered a hip injury in the Steelers game.Flacco finished the game — saying afterward it didn’t affect him — but following their Week 10 bye, rookie Lamar Jackson bypassed Robert Griffin III to become the starting quarterback.The Ravens have been an entirely different offensive team with Jackson.With Flacco starting, the team was averaging 274 passing yards per game.With Jackson, the team is averaging 156.Under Flacco, the Ravens were gaining 93 yards rushing per game.Under Jackson, it’s been 239 — and Jackson has accounted for 88 of those yards in every game.The Ravens have been using him as a rushing weapon — only a handful of Jackson’s 54 carries have been scrambles — and have won three games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons in the process.It would be fair to say that beating those three teams isn’t much of a feat — their combined record is 11-25 — but just the same, winning NFL games isn’t easy under any circumstances.It will be fascinating to see how this game plays out — which brings us to...3. The Chiefs game planDenny Medley-USA TODAY SportsGiven the success the Ravens have had running the ball in recent weeks with their rookie quarterback in the mix, what would your game plan be?Focus on stopping the running game, forcing Jackson to try to beat you over the top and hope you can force him into making mistakes?Jackson has thrown four interceptions in the three games he’s been the starting quarterback, so that could be an approach worth considering — except that the Chiefs have been pretty bad at stopping the run!With a few exceptions in individual games, opponents have pretty much rushed at will against Kansas City.Another way to achieve the same result: get a big lead early, which would also force the Ravens to abandon the running game.This approach has worked in a number of the team’s victories this season.But that also might be hard to do, because the Ravens defense is so good — arguably better than any defense the Chiefs have faced so far.So one of the things we might learn this week is whether the Chiefs run defense has been bad because a) certain players have failed to execute, b) the defensive scheme is terrible, or c) the Chiefs are willing to concede the running game in order to take away big passing plays — one thing that most certainly can beat a quick-scoring offense like the Chiefs have.Or we might learn that the Chiefs offense is so good that even a well-balanced defense can’t stop it — rendering the problems with the defense moot.So regardless of how the Chiefs choose to plan for this game, execution is going to be a key factor.They’re not going to be able to afford mistakes on either defense or offense.4. Ware, West, Williams and Williams, LLCKyle Terada-USA TODAY SportsI really dislike the term “running back by committee.”It brings back too many memories of Chiefs teams that could raise clouds of dust but do little else offensively. I mean... seriously!Why “three yards and a cloud of dust”?Why not four? Or five?Wouldn’t that work much better?I much prefer the term limited liability corporation to describe what the Chiefs will be doing with their running backs now that Kareem Hunt is no longer on the roster.Why not?Isn’t it a group of individual players who will utilize their individual strengths toward achieving a corporate goal, while participating in a way that minimizes their personal deficiencies?In truth, an LLC of sorts has been the norm for the Chiefs this season anyway — players-not-named-Kareem-Hunt have been on the field for 27 percent of the team’s running back snaps before the Oakland Raiders game — but now we’re going to see something a little different.The corporate press release would read something like this:Following some personal decisions that reflected badly on the firm, the Board of Directors has voted to remove Hunt, giving Spencer Ware the corner office. Charcandrick West — removed by the Board after a cost-benefit analysis in September — has now returned as a senior partner, but will primarily serve in an advisory capacity.The two junior associates — Damien Williams and his brother-from-another-mother, Darrel Williams — will now see an increased role in day-to-day operations; Darrel, in particular, has distinguished himself in the Special Projects Division and richly deserves this promotion.But even though West has returned as a senior partner, don’t expect to see him on the field with the Chiefs offense very often.As the AP Nerd Squad’s Matt Lane argued on Monday, the Chiefs kept Darrel Williams on the initial 53-man roster for a reason: because they think he can produce.Up to now Daniel Sorensen Color Rush Jersey , he hasn’t had much opportunity to show what he can do on offense because three running backs were in front of him on the depth chart, so the Chiefs have utilized him on special teams. Now that this number has been reduced to two, Darrel Williams is going to start getting some offensive snaps.So West hasn’t been brought in to become a backup running back.Just like players such as Frank Zombo and Nate Orchard, West — generally speaking — is on the team to take the place of younger players on special teams because they are now needed on offense or defense. Meanwhile, should something awful happen — for example, Ware and Damien Williams are both knocked out of a game — West has enough knowledge to step in without having had first-team practice snaps during the week.5. Old home weekRavens coach John Harbaugh is one of seven (!) current NFL head coaches who have served under Andy Reid as assistant coaches.Along with former Chiefs offensive coordinators Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, the others include Ron Rivera, Pat Shurmur, Todd Bowles and Sean McDermott.In addition, Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg served under Reid from 2003 through 2012 with the Philadelphia Eagles.So to say that these coaches know (and respect) each other is an understatement.You can expect that these men will be able to make good guesses about what the others will do — and want to spring surprises on each other, too.It wouldn’t be shocking for any of them to trot out an exotic play they discussed years ago — but never utilized at the time — in order to get a leg up in this game.But now that I am bringing up this subject for the second week in a row, a thought occurs to me: after so many years as a head coach — and with so many active NFL coaches now on his coaching tree — is part of the reason Andy Reid has been so successful in Kansas City simply because he knows so many other head coaches so well, he can anticipate what they will do against him? Last week, we saw the Arrowhead Pride contributors go 10-2 with their picks. Two of the contributors picks the Browns to win last week — looks like it may take some time for all Chiefs fans to get over the scars of the past. I know I’m still recovering myself.Let’s see what FanPulse has to say about the Chiefs this week:You can sign up for AP FanPulse here to take the weekly survey.Now let’s get on to the predictions:Shawn Barber, Chiefs 30-20My Week 10 Prediction is just an ”orange justice” tribute to the Fortnite & NFL partnership beginning tomorrow with the release of uniform skins.Keys to Victory “Royale”1. Josh Rosen should be a “Bush Camper” while in pass protection, meaning the Cardinals’ O-line might provide a little camouflage but no real protection from the Chiefs’ D-line.2. Any Cardinals wide receivers should be immediately “knock(ed)” if they dare to complete any passes longer than five yards.3. Be alert for Kareem Hunt “launch(ing)” himself into the end zone.4. Yes, All the Chiefs players are ready to share “mats.” We have more than enough material to keep building more room for fans to get on the wagon.5. As a team, the Cardinals are definitely “one-shot.” Make sure the Chiefs start fast and don’t give them any hope of victory.6. We know the Cardinals are a team full of “storm troopers.” Once the game kicks off, there will be where for their defenders to hide.7. When Chris Jones asks, “Do we have any Heals?” by signaling the Kingdom to make some noise. The Sea of Red response is the best way to ensure a “Victory Royale.”Aaron Borgmann, Chiefs 38-10The Cards are coming to town. Clearly, a rebuilding team trying to find its own identity. While David Johnson is a talented running back, they just don’t have the horses to compete with the Chiefs. This is essentially a warmup game for the big showdown—kind of like the midday meal you eat before Thanksgiving. A real stretch it out and get ready kind of game. I’ve been saying it for weeks, but it’s gotta happen sooner or later right? Look for some backups in the fourth as this will be out of hand.John Dixon, Chiefs 33-20The Cardinals have a decent defense, but the Chiefs offense has already rolled over a bushel basket full of those. The Cardinals have a new offensive coordinator in Byron Leftwich, who managed to get his team’s offensive output above 300 yards for the first time all season two weeks ago in a victory against the 49ers. It’s fair to wonder that with a bye week, Leftwich can do some things to clean up the mess left by former OC Mike McCoy -- and maybe cook up a solid plan to beat Bob Sutton’s defense -- but it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs losing a game like this at home. There’s enough uncertainty about Leftwich that the Cardinals might make it closer than we’d expect against a 2-6 opponent, but the Chiefs should handle this one easily.Matt Lane, Chiefs 35-17This is the more “trap” like trap game for the Chiefs, given the extra attention to the Browns with the coaching carousel and the looming Mexico City Showdown with the Rams. The Chiefs very well may not come out with a ton of juice early for a game against an inferior opponent playing Arrowhead but the remaining questions is, does that matter?When Arizona has the ball their offensive line play has been absolutely horrendous this year, if there was ever a get-right game for the Chiefs run defense this is it. The Cardinals will mostly, unless Byron Leftwhich is coming up with new stuff post-Bye, continue smashing David Johnson into the A and B gaps in which their OL generates no movement. In the passing game their interior OL is just as porous as their offensive tackles constantly allowing a ton of pressure to young Josh Rosen. Rosen has made some beautiful throws this year but really struggles when pressured and moved off his spot which is something Ford, Jones, and the rest of the front should be able to do. The WR group for the Cardinals has also been subpar struggling to separate and haul in basses all year.When the Chiefs have the ball, it’s pretty simple that you need to stop Chandler Jones and you can have your way with the Cardinals defense. Their linebackers, in particular Kendall Fuller Color Rush Jersey , have been a real issue easily drawn out of place and flowing before they need to be. Combine that with a lot of spot-zone coverage and it should be a situation that Mahomes can continue his dominance vs zone. The Cardinals have athletes to get sideline to sideline vs the run BUT they aren’t good at quickly flowing outside and instead look to shoot gaps, especially vs a zone blocking scheme. This could lead to large chunk runs for Hunt outside the tackles, again.I don’t forsee the Chiefs coming out with 110 percent effort in this game, but it really won’t matter as at some point pure talent takes over. A relatively ho-hum performance that showcases the Chiefs as a better team but the Cardinals are able to make a few schematic changes that surprise the not completely focused Chiefs.Gary McKenzie, Chiefs 35-10This is a week where the Chiefs defense can work to improve. Justin Houston should return and the Chiefs defense will be facing one of the worst offenses in the NFL. It is a wasted opportunity for the Chiefs defense if they do not sack, intercept, and just generally give this weak Cardinals offense a horrible time on Sunday.Matt Stagner, Chiefs 52-28This is uncharted territory for the Chiefs. 1) they are favored by more than 2 TDs. 2) they finally have the franchise QB that makes a letdown less likely. It’s clearly the type of trap game that would be a problem for previous Chiefs teams. It feels like the KC defense is improving, so they certainly have the opportunity to dominate with pass rush against the Cards. The league’s best offense and special teams will continue to be the story, though. Watch for Tyreek Hill to have another big week, it’s his turn.Craig Stout, Chiefs 38-10The Cardinals have more holes than they do players to this point. They’re not particularly good in the trenches, they’re still trying to find an identity on offense, and their defense got 45 points hung on them by Denver *at home.* This game will be over at the half, and we’ll be watching Chad Henne and Spencer Ware move the ball on the ground in the third quarter.Kent Swanson, Chiefs 28-14The Chiefs are going to win and Patrick Mahomes is going to break Len Dawson’s single-season TD pass record in week 10. Amazing. I don’t expect the Chiefs to cover. This will be a game where the Chiefs get up and just try and get out of it. The energy probably won’t be sustained for four quarters.Pete Sweeney, Chiefs 35-21There will be a couple games down the final stretch of the season in which the matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs equates to the Super Bowl for the other team—this one against the Cardinals is the first. I think the Cardinals challenge the Chiefs in their passing game, but they are not simply enough for all the things Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt are capable of. The Chiefs’ defense plays much better against a weak opponent, giving a dose of false hope ahead of the game on everybody’s mind—the Rams in Mexico City. A late, trash-time touchdown by the Cardinals provides the dreaded backdoor cover for you betting folks.Joel Thorman, Chiefs 44-17Let’s not spend too much time on this one. It’s a 17-point line which isn’t enough.Aly Trost, Chiefs 48-13Well, *cough, cough* after getting RIPPED apart by Chiefs fans far and wide for predicting the Browns would upset the Chiefs, I am BACK to my optimistic ways. Chiefs win 48-13. Josh Rosen doesn’t stand a chance. The 2-6 Cardinals couldn’t upset the Chiefs if they try. Chiefs victory. At home. 48-13. Sunday. Drop mic.Dane Van Why, Chiefs 38-13This game is simply a stepping stone for next Monday night against the Rams. I don’t necessarily care about this game, and I don’t think the fan base does either. But don’t get me wrong, this, and the rest of the games down the final stretch of the season, do matter. If the Chiefs decide to sit this one out and let a lackluster Cardinals team beat them at home, it WILL come back to bite them come January. But I’m not expecting that to happen.Each contributor picked the Chiefs to win this week, which means the staff rankings shouldn’t see any movement next week. However, this week, Pete and Craig were able to get themselves out of the basement. The current rankings are as such:Contributor RankingsContributorRecordContributorRecordI’m looking forward to next week against the Rams, where the Chiefs’ picks will be much more difficult. Maybe we’ll see a little movement then!
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