Arrowhead Pride
Following Week 4’s 37-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to record the season’s third win. On Monday night, they’ll be on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Here’s what I’ll be wondering as the game gets underway.
The biggest strength of Jacksonville’s defense is its defensive ends. Josh Hines-Allen has been playing like a superstar this season. While he’s registered only half a sack, that undersells his impact. According to Pro Football Focus, Hines-Allen already has eight quarterback hits and 23 total pressures over four games. He has recorded at least five pressures in each of those games.
Hines-Allen is a multi-faceted pass rusher who is hard to stop. Long and powerful, he can collapse the pocket. But he also has enough bend and explosiveness to turn the corner. Ever since college, he’s been an efficient pass rusher with a variety of moves.
Travon Walker is on the other side. He hurt his wrist a week ago, so his status for this game is unclear. But while 2022’s No. 1 overall pick isn’t nearly as refined as Hines-Allen, he nonetheless continues to progress. His combination of strength and explosiveness gives him a nasty power game; he can crush the pocket against almost any tackle. He is not as disruptive as Hines-Allen, but he still recorded six pressures in Weeks 2 and 3.
If Walker doesn’t play, Hines-Allen will still be enough of a force to challenge the Kansas City tackles. What makes this matchup intriguing is that the Chiefs have not faced many power rushers yet this season. The Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens all feature bendy edge rushers who prefer to win around the arc — a style more favorable to both Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor. Khalil Mack is the best power rusher they have faced so far. Kansas City’s tackles did well against him — but Hines-Allen is a better player who is now in his prime.
So Monday’s game will be a huge test for Simmons and Taylor. How well can their anchors hold up? Will they be able to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes space within the pocket? If both tackles are caved in by the edge rushers, it will be difficult for Mahomes to step up and maneuver. I am particularly interested to see how Simmons’ strength looks against one of the league’s strongest pass rushers.
Following its rough Week 1 performance, the Kansas City defense has taken noticeable steps forward. It has made some adjustments. Cornerback Nohl Williams plays on the outside more often, which has allowed Trent McDuffie more flexibility to move around. Safety Jaden Hicks has been seeing fewer snaps, while Chamarri Conner has moved to deep safety.
But the biggest change is how heavily the Chiefs have relied on blitzing. Steve Spagnuolo knows he...
