Defending Super Bowl Champion Rams, New Quarterback Come to Arrowhead
KC Laboratory previews Chiefs-Rams
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The Kansas City Chiefs play their second Los Angeles football team in as many weeks — as the struggling and hobbled Rams come into town as heavy underdogs. Here is what you need to know!
Scouting Bryce Perkins
The Rams will be without Matthew Stafford in Sunday’s game after he suffered yet another concussion. They are expected to turn to 2020 undrafted free agent quarterback Bryce Perkins — who came in late last week against the Saints.
Perkins went 5/10 for 64 yards in the air and 5 carries for 39 yards on the ground in his NFL debut — including the longest run of the game for the Rams.
Perkins received a 6th-7th round grade from the KC Draft Guide in 2020. He was one of the more unique prospects in the draft class. His ability with his legs is one of the the things that was intriguing about him as a prospect. He could beat you on the ground and flashed some creativity when plays broke down and he had to solve problems out of structure.
Perkins was a high variance passer. Some of his best moments would have you thinking he deserve to be drafted and earlier than we had him graded. He flashed it late against the Saints.
The problem is those moments are few and far between. He’s inconsistent as a true drop back passer — struggling to layer passes and often sailing them high out of reach of his receivers.
Perkins struggled with his lower half in the passing game in college — he threw with an inconsistent base and footwork that forced errant passes. There are still those inconsistencies. Perkins was 4/9 for 44 yards outside of that late completion to Higbee.
There are reasons to be concerned if you’re a Chiefs fan facing Perkins. He can beat the Chiefs with his legs, and the Rams have plenty of bootlegs in their offense to accentuate that strength. If Perkins can string enough big plays with his arm, he and the Rams offense could give the Chiefs problems.
Matchup to Watch: Trey Smith vs. Aaron Donald
While the Rams may not appear to be the force that they have been in recent years – particularly on offense – they still have several pieces that cam tilt the game in their favor on Sunday. One of those pieces just so happens to be one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game: Aaron Donald.
Donald hasn't grabbed the headlines like he has in previous years, but that doesn't mean he's not an All-World player in 2022. He still regularly takes over sections of games - especially when teams think they can "get by" without extra blockers on him - and is a massive threat to the success of any offense that comes up against this defense. Patrick Mahomes is acutely aware of this fact, as Donald was one of the only reasons the Rams beat the Chiefs back in a 2018 contest that saw over 100 total points scored.
A lot has changed since that matchup, especially along the Chiefs offensive line. While Donald will line up all over the defensive line, the key matchup could be against second-year right guard Trey Smith.
Smith has seen a couple of elite interior players this season - namely, Jeffery Simmons and Chris Jones in practice - but Donald is a different animal. For one, Donald's lateral explosion and bend on the interior is unmatched by anybody I'm the league. That just so happens to exploit one of Smith's biggest weaknesses: the ability to mirror and stay in front of quick defenders.
Donald also brings unbelievable strength to the table, which can mitigate Smith's best attribute as an offensive lineman. Smith regularly swallow up and throws around defensive tackles of Donald's stature, blowing open holes in the run game and keeping Mahomes clean. That advantage may not be there against Donald, taking away one of Smith's biggest trump cards.
While Donald is likely going to see multiple blockers for the majority of the game, blitzes and protection adjustments may end up with Smith in a 1 on 1 situation. The Chiefs most physical offensive lineman is certainly going to be ready for the challenge, but the outcome of those reps on Sunday afternoon could be the difference in a comfortable day for the Chiefs offense, or an ugly slog with few points on the board.
Number to Watch: -15.5
If you were told at the beginning of the season that the Chiefs were going to be favored by 15.5 points against the defensing Super Bowl Champion Rams, you wouldn’t have believed me.
DraftKings has the line Chiefs -15.5 against the depleted Rams. Even with the injuries and new quarterback, it feels like a massive line. The Chiefs have struggled as heavy favorites and backup quarterbacks recently — as the Tennessee Titans took the Chiefs to the brink. Despite being 13.5 underdogs and playing with rookie Malik Willis at quarterback, the Titans survived a 20-17 battle.
The Rams possess some similarities to the Titans. They both had defenses capable of slowing the Chiefs down on off night. They both have a game wrecker along the interior of the defensive line. They both have mobile quarterbacks starting for them. They’re both well coached.
If the Chiefs can’t slow down Aaron Donald and Sean McVay can put a couple possessions together with his third string quarterback, it could be a lot more contested than people think. This isn’t a trap game in that the Chiefs will realistically lose, but they could be in for more than they want to with a big game against the Cincinnati Bengals looming next week.
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