Vikings at Chiefs Depth Chart Preview 2019
Nov 1, 2019 21:39:59 GMT -6
Funkytown, Oracle Bone Diviner, and 3 more like this
Post by Danchat on Nov 1, 2019 21:39:59 GMT -6
With a 4 win streak in hand, the Vikings come into a matchup against one of the AFC's best on a 10 day's rest. Will the Chiefs, likely without stud QB Pat Mahomes, be able to regain their footing, or will the Vikings get a 5th win in a row? Check out how the Chiefs stack up:
** My thoughts **
A lot of key Chiefs players are coming into this game injured, and Pat Mahomes is one of them. He was limited in practice and only played with the 2nd team, so all signs point to Matt Moore starting. The 35 year old career backup is a average backup, and he looked good against the Packers last week. If he gets time to pass, he will likely have success against the Vikings' secondary that has struggled recently. One reason why that is will be due to the pure speed of the WR group. They call Tyreek Hill a cheetah for a reason, and 2nd round rookie Mecole Hardman is also a blazer. Sammy Watkins isn't what he used to be, but he's still got some quickness and solid hands. Demarcus Robinson has been perennially disappointing. Possibly the most difficult one to cover is Travis Kelce. He's got speed, size, and hands - and he's a good blocker too!
The Vikings must get pressure on Moore, and it should be possible with their primary LT and RG out. Cameron Erving has been filling in at LT, and he's been terrible year in and year out. Former practice squader Andrew Wylie is having a surprisingly good season at LG, as his pass protection has been top-notch. Austin Reiter is a mediocre center who can't run block. It appears Martinas Rankin will fill in for Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tariff, which is a massive downgrade. Going with Wisniewski would likely be a better option, at least according to PFF. Despite the chaos on the O-line, Mitchell Schwartz has been a fantastic run and pass defender. The Chiefs simply haven't bothered to establish the run in most games, and they also have been rather ineffective at it. LeSean McCoy is 31 and mediocre, and Damien Williams has failed to recapture the magic of his 2018 post-Kareem Hunt season. Meanwhile, Anthony Sherman is a great FB, but they've basically stopped using him.
On defense, the Chiefs are a mixed bag. This isn't a surprise as they were a trainwreck last season and switched to a 4-3 scheme this year, so bumps should be expected. The run defense simply hasn't been up to snuff, and they've relied on the offense to take big leads to hide this weakness. Frank Clark was acquired for a massive price from Seattle and has declined suddenly. He's appeared invisible at times, which is a shock for a guy with 22 sacks the previous two seasons. Alex Okafor has been abysmal against the run, and he's hurt. Emmanuel Ogbah is having a quality season since escaping Cleveland. Derrick Nnadi is an up-and-coming nose tackle who hasn't found much success yet. Chris Jones is a total beast and an underrated player, but he's missed the past few weeks with injury. If he's out, the Vikings O-line will have a much easier time pushing this D-line back. This defense's biggest strength has been their pass rush, so neutralizing this group is very important.
The LB group is a total mess. Anthony Hitchens was a major free agency addition, but has been graded as the NFL's 6th worst run defender by PFF (among all LBs). Damien Wilson, a U of M alum, has been somewhat better than him, but still grades poorly in run defense. They've started working Ben Niemann into games, and he's been about average so far.
The DBs were probably the Chiefs' biggest weakness last year, but things have improved. 2nd year UDFA Charvarius Ward has went from trying to crack a 53 man roster to being the Chiefs' best CB. He'll likely be matched up 1-on-1 with Stefon Diggs, which will likely challenge him. Kendall Fuller is one of the NFL's best slot CBs, but he's hurt. Bashaud Breeland has been dreadful thus far, and he'll likely be joined by Mo Claiborne and Rashad Fenton. The offense shouldn't have many problems getting open on these guys. Finally, the Chiefs picked up Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, but he's been simply average for them. Quietly playing better is 2nd round rookie FS Juan Thornhill, a guy I had pegged as a 1st round prospect. Thornhill is speedy, has great instincts, and was an elite safety at Virginia.
My Prediction: Vikings 31, Chiefs 27
I was originally thinking the Chiefs would win this, even with Matt Moore, but I can't pick the Chiefs with how banged up they are. The Vikings, likely the healthiest team in the NFL, is coming into this game with a 10 game break, and the Chiefs just got done playing last Sunday Night. The Vikings run game should roll over this defense, and while the Chiefs should establish a solid passing game, I don't think the Chiefs O-line will be able to last a full game without giving up too much pressure.
BTW: I'm 7-1 on my game predictions so far! (the only one I mispredicted was the Lions game)
Any thoughts?
Vikings
WR Adam Thielen - Questionable
Chiefs
QB Pat Mahomes - Questionable
RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff - Out
CB Kendall Fuller - Out
LT Eric Fisher - Out
DT Chris Jones - Questionable
ED Alex Okafor - Out
WR Adam Thielen - Questionable
Chiefs
QB Pat Mahomes - Questionable
RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff - Out
CB Kendall Fuller - Out
LT Eric Fisher - Out
DT Chris Jones - Questionable
ED Alex Okafor - Out
** My thoughts **
A lot of key Chiefs players are coming into this game injured, and Pat Mahomes is one of them. He was limited in practice and only played with the 2nd team, so all signs point to Matt Moore starting. The 35 year old career backup is a average backup, and he looked good against the Packers last week. If he gets time to pass, he will likely have success against the Vikings' secondary that has struggled recently. One reason why that is will be due to the pure speed of the WR group. They call Tyreek Hill a cheetah for a reason, and 2nd round rookie Mecole Hardman is also a blazer. Sammy Watkins isn't what he used to be, but he's still got some quickness and solid hands. Demarcus Robinson has been perennially disappointing. Possibly the most difficult one to cover is Travis Kelce. He's got speed, size, and hands - and he's a good blocker too!
The Vikings must get pressure on Moore, and it should be possible with their primary LT and RG out. Cameron Erving has been filling in at LT, and he's been terrible year in and year out. Former practice squader Andrew Wylie is having a surprisingly good season at LG, as his pass protection has been top-notch. Austin Reiter is a mediocre center who can't run block. It appears Martinas Rankin will fill in for Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tariff, which is a massive downgrade. Going with Wisniewski would likely be a better option, at least according to PFF. Despite the chaos on the O-line, Mitchell Schwartz has been a fantastic run and pass defender. The Chiefs simply haven't bothered to establish the run in most games, and they also have been rather ineffective at it. LeSean McCoy is 31 and mediocre, and Damien Williams has failed to recapture the magic of his 2018 post-Kareem Hunt season. Meanwhile, Anthony Sherman is a great FB, but they've basically stopped using him.
On defense, the Chiefs are a mixed bag. This isn't a surprise as they were a trainwreck last season and switched to a 4-3 scheme this year, so bumps should be expected. The run defense simply hasn't been up to snuff, and they've relied on the offense to take big leads to hide this weakness. Frank Clark was acquired for a massive price from Seattle and has declined suddenly. He's appeared invisible at times, which is a shock for a guy with 22 sacks the previous two seasons. Alex Okafor has been abysmal against the run, and he's hurt. Emmanuel Ogbah is having a quality season since escaping Cleveland. Derrick Nnadi is an up-and-coming nose tackle who hasn't found much success yet. Chris Jones is a total beast and an underrated player, but he's missed the past few weeks with injury. If he's out, the Vikings O-line will have a much easier time pushing this D-line back. This defense's biggest strength has been their pass rush, so neutralizing this group is very important.
The LB group is a total mess. Anthony Hitchens was a major free agency addition, but has been graded as the NFL's 6th worst run defender by PFF (among all LBs). Damien Wilson, a U of M alum, has been somewhat better than him, but still grades poorly in run defense. They've started working Ben Niemann into games, and he's been about average so far.
The DBs were probably the Chiefs' biggest weakness last year, but things have improved. 2nd year UDFA Charvarius Ward has went from trying to crack a 53 man roster to being the Chiefs' best CB. He'll likely be matched up 1-on-1 with Stefon Diggs, which will likely challenge him. Kendall Fuller is one of the NFL's best slot CBs, but he's hurt. Bashaud Breeland has been dreadful thus far, and he'll likely be joined by Mo Claiborne and Rashad Fenton. The offense shouldn't have many problems getting open on these guys. Finally, the Chiefs picked up Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, but he's been simply average for them. Quietly playing better is 2nd round rookie FS Juan Thornhill, a guy I had pegged as a 1st round prospect. Thornhill is speedy, has great instincts, and was an elite safety at Virginia.
My Prediction: Vikings 31, Chiefs 27
I was originally thinking the Chiefs would win this, even with Matt Moore, but I can't pick the Chiefs with how banged up they are. The Vikings, likely the healthiest team in the NFL, is coming into this game with a 10 game break, and the Chiefs just got done playing last Sunday Night. The Vikings run game should roll over this defense, and while the Chiefs should establish a solid passing game, I don't think the Chiefs O-line will be able to last a full game without giving up too much pressure.
BTW: I'm 7-1 on my game predictions so far! (the only one I mispredicted was the Lions game)
Any thoughts?
... and neither is this Chris guy.