Chiefs strive for consistency against Saints
There's a question that many in the NFL, Kansas City and even within the walls of Arrowhead Stadium want to see answered Sunday. Kansas City (3-2) hosts the New Orleans Saints (2-3) this weekend and it's unclear which version of the Chiefs will show up for the game. Will it be the team that got smashed in a 29-point loss to Pittsburgh nearly three weeks ago? Or will it be the squad that rebounded after a bye week and last Sunday in Oakland dominated a then 4-1 Raiders team, winning by 16 points and controlling all three phases of the game? Offense and defense have been up and down for the Chiefs. Ahead are 11 games and a wide-open path to first place in the AFC West. "What we're trying to do is not be that yo-yo team that plays great and then they don't play too good," veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "We have a personality and that's fear nothing and attack everything. That's how we should play every game." They'll need to play the Saints with no fear and aggression. New Orleans has won their last two games and possesses one of the NFL's most productive offenses, led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints are averaging 413.4 yards per game and rank No. 2 in the league behind only Atlanta. New Orleans is the league's top passing team, with an average of 335.4 yards per game from Brees to a wealth of receivers, led by Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and rookie Michael Thomas. "I think there are times in a season when you gain momentum and generally it's a little further out than where we are at right now with wins and losses," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "We've had runs here in a number of seasons; I don't know at what point you say they have some momentum, but I think it would be a little too early right now." The Chiefs' defense knows they'll have their hands full with Brees. The Kansas City unit has undergone a few changes since last Sunday. Two starters -- defensive end Allen Bailey (pectoral muscle) and inside linebacker Justin March-Lillard (hand) -- went to injured reserve after the victory over the Raiders. Plus, starting cornerback Phillip Gaines (knee) continues to be bothered by a knee injury that he suffered early in the 2015 season. His status for Sunday is very questionable. Still, there are enough playmakers on the field -- Johnson, Tamba Hali, Dontari Poe, Eric Berry and especially Marcus Peters -- that the defense can put up a good fight against any offense, or at least any that doesn't have Big Ben running the attack. "I see them as a really stout group," Brees said. "I see them as a really big front that can apply some pressure to the quarterback. I see a secondary that really has a lot of cover guys. "You've got safeties all over the field that can cover, you have corners that can cover and you have linebackers that can cover. It seems like the defense has been pretty opportunistic this year. They've been able to take the ball away quite a bit." As good as Brees and the New Orleans offense has been, the defense has struggled and ranks next to last in yards allowed (419.4 per game average.) The Saints have given up 168 points, or 33.3 per game. Against Carolina last Sunday, the Saints had 13 hits on the quarterback and knocked down nine passes but still gave up 38 points. Luckily for the Saints, they scored 41 points for the victory. "There were just a lot of plays that they made that were directly related to us playing the wrong technique," Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro said. "One time you don't use your help, or play the right leverage and you are giving up an out with a guy right in front of you that is not acceptable. "If you keep doing that in the future, it is going to cost you some games. We need to get that fixed now. It is an easy thing to fix, but it needs to be fixed now." |