The Rams still have seven games left, but their season may come down to Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs. At 3-7, they can’t afford to lose another game, and the Cheifs will be a huge test for this injury-riddled roster.
It’s the first time they’re facing the Chiefs since 2018 when Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes dueled in a 54-51 shootout won by Los Angeles. It’s also the 13th meeting all-time between these teams.
Here are six stats and facts to know for this pivotal matchup.
1
Chiefs lead the NFL in scoring and yards
There isn’t an offense in the NFL that’s been as consistent and impressive as the Chiefs’. They’ve topped 40 points three times already and scored at least 20 points in nine of their 10 games, averaging a league-best 30 points per game. They’re also leading the NFL by averaging 429.3 yards per game.
For comparison, the Rams have just 288 yards this season, averaging almost 150 fewer yards per game than the Chiefs. In fact, the Rams haven’t had more than 360 yards in a game this season, so they haven’t even sniffed the Chiefs’ season average.
2
Chiefs are best third- and fourth-down offense in football
The Rams are just average defensively on third down, ranking 18th in opponent conversion percentage (40.5%). They’re really going to be tested by the Chiefs this weekend. Kansas City ranks first in third-down conversion rate (51.7%) and first in fourth-down conversions (75%).
It’s incredibly difficult to get the Chiefs offense off the field, which allows them to sustain drives and wear down defenses. If the Rams are going to have any shot to win on Sunday, they’ll need to step up defensively on third down.
3
Chiefs have allowed 2nd-most TD passes of any team
With the way the Chiefs offense operates and moves the ball, opponents are forced to throw it often in order to keep up on the scoreboard. It’s not that the Chiefs’ pass defense is terrible, it’s just not one of the better units.
The Chiefs have faced the second-most pass attempts, have given up the seventh-most passing yards and the second-most touchdown passes. They’re 13th in the NFL in net yards per attempt allowed, but teams are having much more success scoring touchdowns through the air compared to on the ground against the Chiefs.
4
Rams are least-penalized team in the league
There haven’t been many positive takeaways from the Rams’ season so far, but at least no one can call this an undisciplined team. The Rams have been called for the fewest penalties in the NFL, getting flagged just 43 times in 10 games. The Chiefs have been very good in that department, too, being called for just 51 penalties, tied for the fourth-fewest.
Even as poorly as the Rams’ offensive line has played, the team has only been called for offensive holding seven times. Their 11 false starts and four delay of game infractions are particularly frustrating, however, because those a pre-snap mistakes.
5
Chiefs have 191 more yards after the catch than any team
The Rams used to be the YAC kings, and they still get a fair amount of yards after the catch, but nothing close to what the Chiefs get from their pass-catchers. In fact, no team gets as much YAC as the Chiefs do.
According to Pro football Reference, the Chiefs have 1,650 yards after the catch. The next-closest team, the Bengals, have 1,459 yards after the catch. The Rams, for comparison, have 1,271 yards after the catch, which ranks 10th.
6
Rams are 5-7 all-time against the Chiefs
The Rams and Chiefs don’t square off often because they’re in different conferences, and the last meeting was way back in 2018 when they played an epic 54-51 shootout at the Coliseum. All-time, they’ve played 12 times and the Chiefs won seven of those games, including six of the last seven.
Prior to that 54-51 game, the Rams hadn’t scored more than 17 points against the Chiefs in any of their previous four meetings, which dates back to 2002. The Rams won the first three meetings against the Chiefs from 1973-1985.
