2022 Opponent Breakdown: Kansas City Chiefs

Persevering with our collection of offseason opponent breakdowns following the 2022 schedule launch, theRams.com examines Los Angeles’ Week 12 street opponent, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (Nov. 27, 1:25 p.m. PT, FOX).

Early-season struggles produced a 3-4 report, nevertheless it wasn’t for a scarcity of scoring for the Chiefs in most of these video games. They produced 30 or extra factors in 4 of these first six contests, however their protection additionally gave up 30 or extra the identical variety of instances throughout that span. Within the seventh sport of that stretch, Kansas Metropolis managed only a subject purpose in a 27-3 blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans.

No matter ailed the Chiefs in that loss to the Titans and people first seven weeks total was seemingly addressed, as they mounted a powerful eight-game win streak; in reality, they went 9-1 total the remainder of the season to complete 12-5 and earn the No. 2 seed within the AFC playoff image.

That momentum carried over into the postseason with a 42-21 win over the Steelers within the Wild Card Spherical, then an exhilarating 42-36 extra time win over the Payments within the Divisional Spherical. Nevertheless, the Chiefs’ playoff run would additionally finish in dramatic style the next week, falling to the Bengals 27-24 in extra time on rookie kicker Evan McPherson’s game-winning, 31-yard subject purpose.

In an offseason that lacked no scarcity of drama over its first 30 days, the Chiefs’ contribution was buying and selling star huge receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for 5 draft picks, together with the No. 29 total decide on this 12 months’s draft.

Although it misplaced Hill, Kansas Metropolis nonetheless made certain to reload the passing assault with loads of targets for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, signing former Steelers huge receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal and former Packers huge receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a three-year deal. Within the draft, they chose Central Michigan huge receiver Skyy Moore within the second spherical (No. 54 total).

Andy Reid enters his tenth season as head coach of the Chiefs, compiling a 103-42 common season report and 9-7 playoff report by his first 9 seasons. Kansas Metropolis received Tremendous Bowl LIV in Reid’s seventh season and has additionally received two AFC Championships, with three AFC Championship appearances during the last three seasons.

Rams secondary vs. (considerably) new look Chiefs passing assault

Mahomes and tight finish Travis Kelce – who has notched six-straight 1,000-yard seasons – are nonetheless within the fold, however past them, it will doubtless be a a lot totally different passing assault than the one they confronted in 2018 given the turnover at huge receiver.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Hill’s velocity not solely made him a downfield menace to take the highest off of opposing secondaries, but additionally a receiver who might do harm beneath and after the catch. Nevertheless, after buying and selling Hill, the Chiefs went out and signed three gamers who’re each large and quick within the 6-1, 215 Schuster and the 6-4, 206 Valdes-Scantling – maybe signaling a shift to a extra hybrid method.

Hill’s departure will vacate 159 of the workforce’s 637 passing targets from the 2021 season. Will a kind of new additions step up and command the vast majority of these alternatives, or will or not it’s unfold evenly? Both means, for the Rams secondary, it is going to be a captivating late-season problem, particularly with regards to determining the easiest way to deploy defensive again Jalen Ramsey and the remainder of the secondary, relying on how that hybrid philosophy expresses itself by Week 12.