Can Mahomes maintain this level of play? We are still relatively early into the 2018 season
Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys 2019 , but this is arguably the biggest game of the year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the team travels to Missouri to take on
the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. This game could go a long way in determining
home-field advantage and playoff seedings come January, as two of the AFC’s best
meet for a head-to-head encounter. To help prepare us for the AFC showdown, I
talked to Pete Sweeney, editor-in-chief of Arrowhead Pride — SB Nation’s
essential Kansas City Chiefs website. Pete provides great insights into the 2018
Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes and the matchup itself. Check it out below: 1. Of
course, the Jaguars have the No. 1 defense in terms of points allowed (total
defense and passing defense as well, but who’s counting?), and the Chiefs have
the No. 1 scoring offense in the league. Which side do you think has the
advantage and why?Pete: I think the Chiefs have the slight advantage this season
in particular because of the uptick in penalties on defensive players. The old
NFL clich? has been “defense wins championships,” but it really seems like the
NFL is trending away from that, doesn’t it? Everyone has seen the Clay Matthews
penalties the league has doubled down on, and the league released this stat on
Thursday: Through the first four weeks of the season, there have been 344 total
touchdowns and 3,030 total points scored across the league. Both are the most in
history.2. Is the Patrick Mahomes “magic” real? He threw for 300-plus yards and
willed his team back last Monday night, and that was considered a bit of a
“down” game for him with only one touchdown pass (plus a rushing TD). Do you
expect him to keep this pace? What is his floor?Pete:I do. I think the magic we
are seeing from Patrick Mahomes is real. During the offseason, Chiefs general
manager Brett Veach called Mahomes one of the best players he had ever
seen
Youth Quincy Williams Jersey , and head coach Andy Reid did nothing to slow down the hype train. This was very unlike the Chiefs and Reid, so I knew that Mahomes
had to have the right traits. What has shocked me is how fast he has taken the
league by storm — just five games in. We’re already seeing an ability to do
things very few people in the world can do, and I’m eager to see how he performs
against a challenge as strong as the Jaguars defense.3. The Kansas City defense
has struggled, currently ranking dead last in the NFL in total yards allowed,
but looked to be at least somewhat improved last week against the Denver
Broncos. On the other hand, Jacksonville’s offense is very inconsistent, capable
of absolutely exploding or not being able to score many points at all. Do you
think the shaky Chiefs defense can stop the Jaguars’ offense?Pete: I don’t. I
think the Jacksonville Jaguars will certainly have their drives. The Chiefs
defense hasn’t been great against tight ends, so this could also be the game
that Austin Seferian-Jenkins finally gets things going. At least so far, the
Chiefs have looked to be a flat-out bad defense. It’s not going to be whether or
not the Chiefs defense can stop opposing offenses this year, it’s going to be
about whether they can stop opposing offensives enough to allow Mahomes to take
care of the rest.4. Is there a sort of an under-the-radar Chiefs player on
either side of the ball (or both) that Jaguars fans should be aware of? Pete:
Offense: TE Demetrius Harris. Harris has gotten between 30 and 40 percent of
offensive snaps in each game he’s played in this season, but when he’s in the
game, he’s worth watching. Even with limited time, Harris has managed three
catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, and despite all the weapons Reid has at
receiver, he’ll mix in some two-tight end sets.Defense: S Eric Murray. Murray
has been improving every week, and he is coming off a Monday night game in which
he made a fantastic interception. Murray should likely play next to Ron Parker
with Eric Berry (heal injury) continuing to be a question mark for the Chiefs.5.
Other than Mahomes’ incredible play
Womens Quincy Williams Jersey , what else is working so well for the Chiefs that has contributed to the 4-0 start: play-calling, offensive
playmakers, special teams, etc.?Pete: I think outsiders want to say the Chiefs
drafted “a freak” in Mahomes and that’s why they’re winning. That’s true, but it
isn’t just that. I look at Mahomes and Reid like a chicken-egg situation. Both
are having the early 2018 success because they have each other. Reid has
injected a bit of Air Raid (Texas Tech) into the Chiefs offense, which we have
now been calling the Air Reid. Reid has been making the right calls and even
despite five games of experience, Mahomes makes the right decisions more often
than not. I joke about this a lot, but it seems like the Chiefs pick a different
weapon to feature every week, like on a rotation. Last week was the Hunt and
Kelce game, for example. It’s been a few weeks since a Hill explosion, and this
could be the week.Bonus: score prediction? Pete: 24-17 Chiefs. I think the Jags
do a nice job slowing the game down, but in the end, Mahomes is too much. Thanks
for reading, and enjoy the game!A big thank you to Pete for taking the time to
speak with me. You can follow him on Twitter, and to stay up-to-date on
everything the Chiefs are doing, be sure to follow Arrowhead Pride as well. On
behalf of Matt and me we want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Hopefully you are thankful for this weekly column
Cheap Quincy Williams Jersey , though we sure wish our prognostication skills were closer to 100%.A man can dream.A found a great meme on Instagram that
showed four panes of action. The first was a person in a lesser car coveting a
brand new car. Next was a person on a bike sharing that he wished he could
afford a car. The third pane showed a person at a bus stop fawning over the
person on the bike. The last pane had a person on a balcony, unable to move
about, looking at the person walking from the bus stop and sharing how cool it
was that the person could go anywhere.Be safe and happy. Find at least one thing
to be grateful for and hold it tightly.Of the quarterbacks playing today, you
are probably looking at Matt Ryan and Drew Brees as easy plays. The other four
are probably concerning, but at least one might surprise you.STUD STARTSTurkey
day is here folks which means bird, football, and viewing all the Friends
Thanksgiving episodes. Well, that’s what we do in the Fullford house. I don’t
know if Matt does that, but I bet het does. Three really good division games are
slated for Thursday so let’s get to business. You are starting Brees, Kamara,
Thomas, Jones, Zeke.Matt’s Projection for studsQB Drew Brees, SaintsProjection:
352 yards passing and 4 touchdownsRB Alvin Kamara, SaintsProjection: 54 yards
rushing wit 5 receptions for 65 yards and 1 touchdownWR Michael Thomas,
SaintsProjection: 10 recpetions for 105 yards and 1 touchdownWR
Youth Niles Paul Jerseys , Julio Jones, FalconsProjection: 9 receptions for 124 yards and 1 touchdownRB Ezekiel Elliot, CowboysProjection: 92 yards rushing with
1 touchdown and 4 receptions for 25 yards-SLEEPER PICKWR Allen Robinson, BearsI
hope you took my advice last week. Collins definitely delivered, giving you
solid RB1 numbers. This week’s pick might seem odd considering the state of the
Chicago Bears QB situation. Matt went with another Bears receiver, but I see
Allen Robinson giving you a sneaky payload.Robinson went off for 133 yards and 2
touchdowns in his last game against the Lions, and while you should not accept
similar numbers he should get looks from Chase Daniel. Detroit allows wide
receivers to have success. While Robinson has been all but a bust this season, I
like him in this matchup.This one could bite me.Projection: 5 receptions for 72
yards and 1 touchdown-STARTSQB Colt McCoy, Redskins Look I’m a Cowboys fan and I
have a feeling Colt will deliver. He has been in Washington for a long time and
knows that system. There is a nagging feeling he is going to make my Cowboys
look horrible. He is very cheap in Daily and I think he is worth the spend.
Projection: 257 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptionRB Jordan
Howard, Bears Chase Daniel is the starting QB and that implies more of a run
script offense for the Bears. I expect a two touchdown performance here for
Howard. Projection: 15 rushing attempts for 65 yards and 2 touchdownsRB Theo
Riddick, LionsKerryon Johnson is out meaning Riddick gets the load. As a RB3 in
PPR leagues you have to love what he brings to the lineup. Last week he hauled
in 5 of his 7 looks. Stanford may need to dump the ball off against that Bears
pass rush.Projection: 42 yards rushing with 6 receptions for 64 yards and 1
touchdownWR Taylor Gabriel, Bears I expect Darius Slay to shadow Robinson which
may open up opportunities for Gabriel to exploit. He lead the team in targets
last week, and I think he may be in for a good game even with Daniels at QB
Projection: 5 receptions for 45 yards and 1 touchdownTE Ben Watson, SaintsI have
a feeling that Trequan Smith may be out and even if he isn’t he may be limited.
I expect Ben Watson to pick up the load some what in a game that can be high
scoring. He is getting a touchdown. Projection: 4 receptions for 34 yards and 1
touchdownLions Defense Matt’s sleeper pick. With a home game on Thanksgiving,
and additionally an important division game, the Lions will impress. Also Chase
Daniels is going to start. They may give up points but I’m banking on turnovers.
Projection: 21 points allowed with 4 sacks and 3 turnoversK Will Lutz
Niles Paul Jerseys Stitched , SaintsThe Saints have been averaging over 40 points per game in the last three outings. I foresee another high point total for the
Saints and kicking opportunities for Lutz Projection: 2 for 2 on field goals
with 4 for 4 on extra points-SITQB Chase Daniels, Bears He is getting the start
but he shouldn’t be getting the start on your fantasy team. He has played in a
while and even though the matchup is decent against the lions I believe a more
run oriented offense for the bears. Projection: 195 yards passing with 1
touchdown and 1 interceptionQB Dak Prescott, CowboysThere is something wrong
with the development of Dak, something that may find Dallas with significant
coaching changes in the offseason. Elliot is the workhorse, and should see a
high majority of touches. The Dallas passing attack simply isn’t anything you
want to base your fantasy team on.Projection: 190 yards passing with 42 yards
rushing and 1 rushing touchdownRB Tarik Cohen, BearsJust as game script hurts
Howard in the past, I believe game script will hurt Cohen. He is a pass catcher
and I think they will try to give Howard the ball as much as possible with the
quarterback situation as it is. Projection: 5 receptions for 31 yards and 21
yards rushing RB Adrian Peterson, RedskinsI hate this matchup for him.
Washington isn’t scoring, and Dallas defense is stout. I know Matt likes Colt
McCoy, and maybe he steps in nicely, but I see the Cowboys stacking the box.
Additionally, Adrian is becoming a touchdown or bust player.Projection: 45 yards
rushingWR Allen Robinson, BearsHere is where Matt and I disagree. He is getting
Shadow by Slay. Daniels may try to feed him the ball but that is a mystery. I
sit him if I can due to the defensive matchup.Projection: 4 receptions for 51
yardsTE Trey Burton, Bears He has disappointed this season; he was suppose to
take the next step and be the guy and he disappointed yet again with one catch.
He wasn’t getting used when Trubisky was the guy so why should we think he is
going to be the guy with Daniels. Sit him Projection: 3 receptions for 24 yardsK
Cody Parker, Bears Missed both attempts two weeks ago. He may not even have a
job soon. He is on thin ice. I don’t think he will have a good game especially
with the offense not up to standards with Trubisky out. Projection: 0 for 1
field goals and 3 for 3 on extra pointsFalcons Defense Self explanatory. 40
points per game over the last three games. The Saints are going to carve up
these birds. Sit them. Projection: 38 points allowed with 2 sacks and 1
turnover
