The Chiefs will look to keep their perfect season rolling as they make their first trip to Detroit since 2011 to play the Lions.
Kansas City is coming off a physical matchup with the Baltimore Ravens which it won 33-28. The Chiefs’ offense hasn’t slowed down despite injuries to key players, thanks to the play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the impressive depth that general manager Brett Veach has constructed.
The Lions are undefeated as well, although one of their games resulted in a tie. Still, they are coming off impressive back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. Detroit is trying to bounce back from a disappointing 6-10 record in 2018.
Let’s take a look at what it will take for another Chiefs victory on Sunday.
CHIEFS/LIONS HISTORY
The Chiefs lead the all-time series over the Lions with an 8-5 record. The most recent matchup between these two teams was in 2015 in a game that was played in London, England. K.C. blew out Detroit by a 45-10 final score.
via the NFL’s official YouTube channel
This game was crucial to the Chiefs’ 2015 season, as they entered the matchup at 1-5 and on a five-game losing streak. They had a big day on the ground, rushing for a total of 206 yards and four touchdowns. K.C. would win its next 11 games, including its first playoff win in 22 years.
LIONS’ KEY ADDITIONS
DL Trey Flowers
CB Justin Coleman
TE Jesse James
WR Danny Amendola
TE T.J. Hockenson
S Will Harris
LB Jahlani Tavai
CB Rashaan Melvin
LIONS’ KEY SUBTRACTIONS
DE Ezekiel Ansah
CB Nevin Lawson
TE Luke Willson
WR Bruce Ellington
DE Kerry Hyder
G T.J. Lang
S Glover Quinn
RB LeGarrette Blount
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LIONS’ COACHING/SCHEMES
Matt Patricia is in his second season as the Lions head coach. He spent 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, working his way up from a position coach to six seasons as their defensive coordinator.
After Detroit and former offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter mutually parted ways, Patricia brought in former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to fix the offense.
Offensive scheme
The Lions are Bevell’s third team he has served as offensive coordinator for over a 13-year span. He has typically had a run-first philosophy, ranking in the top four in rushing offense with the Seattle Seahawks from 2012-2015. Running backs Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson had some of their best seasons under Bevell.
Don’t sleep on Bevell’s ability to dial up the passing game. He got his start in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach for Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Favre had a resurgent season with Bevell as his offensive coordinator in 2009 with the Minnesota Vikings.
Bevell then went on to coach Russell Wilson for seven seasons, who has been one of the best QBs in the league during that span. Though he prefers to run the ball first, Bevell is a pretty balanced play-caller who likes to work off of the run with play-action and take deep shots downfield.
The Lions are having trouble finding their footing with the running game so far in 2019. They are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season and have just one rushing touchdown. They remain committed, however, ranking ninth in the NFL in rushing attempts.
The Chiefs rank 27th against the run at 137.7 yards per game allowed. Look for Detroit to try to get its running game going against them.
Defensive scheme
Patricia and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni run a very versatile defense that features both 3-4 and 4-3 alignments, depending on what personnel they have at any given time. They have a bend-but-don’t-break mentality with a focus on eliminating big plays, forcing offenses to score on long, multi-play drives.
The Lions also play some big nickel, which is when the defense brings in a third safety along with two cornerbacks, instead of the traditional nickel which has two safeties and three corners. Detroit is struggling in both phases of its defense, ranking 22nd in both run and pass defense.
Every defense the Chiefs have faced this season has put an emphasis on eliminating big plays but to no avail. The Lions will try to force quarterback Patrick Mahomes to check down and take what they’ll allow him. Detroit has surrendered the 10th most yards per game.
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KEY PLAYERS
QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford is in his 11th season with the Lions and his career has been a bit of a mixed bag. He’s had more losing seasons than winning and is yet to win a playoff game. He does, however, own many franchise and league records and has a solid career stat line.
Stafford is off to a good start in 2019 with six touchdown passes to just two interceptions and a passer rating of 97.5. There isn’t much the veteran hasn’t seen from defenses. He’ll be prepared and won’t likely make many mistakes.
WR Marvin Jones
Jones leads the Lions in receptions and receiving yards. The eight-year veteran is a tall target with good leaping ability and steady, strong hands. He isn’t the speediest receiver but is a smooth and savvy route runner. Last week Jones earned a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week, recording six receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
TE T.J. Hockenson
Detroit selected Hockenson with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. His career started with a bang, racking up more receiving yards (131) than any other tight end making his debut in NFL history. Hockenson is an athletic pass catcher as well as a good blocker.
The past two weeks, however, defenses have slowed him down. He’s caught just one pass in each of the last two games and was flagged twice last week. He’s still going through a learning curve, but his talent is undeniable and he is a threat to make big plays at any given time.
DE Trey Flowers
Flowers reunited with Patricia from his New England days when he signed a huge five-year, $90 million deal with the Lions. He is a well rounded defensive end who makes an impact against both the run and rushing the quarterback. Flowers is coming off his best game of the season where he recorded eight tackles and a sack.
CB Darius Slay
The seven-year veteran slay is quietly one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks. He is a two time Pro Bowl selection as well as a first-team All-Pro. Since Week 13 of last season, Slay has allowed just 10 completions on 38 targets, which is an NFL best.
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KEY MATCHUPS
Chiefs’ run defense vs. Lions’ rushing offense
Both teams are looking for improvement in these respective areas. The Chiefs are giving up the sixth-most rushing yards per game and the Lions are averaging the seventh-worst rushing yards per carry. Both units will need to improve before we get to colder weather.
Given Bevell’s history, Detroit will likely remain committed to establishing the run. The Chiefs were able to win last week despite giving up a ton of rushing yards, but Stafford is a much better quarterback than Lamar Jackson. If the Lions’ running game finds success, Stafford can pick apart the K.C. secondary.
RB Darrel Williams vs. Lions’ front seven
Last week Williams went from a third-stringer who could barely get on the field to one of the biggest factors in the Chiefs’ victory last week. He accumulated 109 total yards, making big plays in both the running and passing game.
Williams has an impressive blend of speed and power. He runs with good contact balance and is also a reliable receiver. Coach Andy Reid praised his effort not just for last week but for his entire tenure with the team. With Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy banged up, Darrel could play a big role again this week.
DT Chris Jones vs. C Frank Ragnow
Detroit’s offensive line is off to a great start in pass blocking, allowing just three sacks this season. It starts with Ragnow, who is PFF’s second highest-graded center. He’ll have his hands full with Jones, who is one of the premier defensive linemen in the league.
Jones wreaked havoc in Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, recording five tackles, a sack and a batted pass. He was slowed a bit last week against the Ravens but still created some pressure. Now facing a more traditional offense such as the Lions, the Chiefs will need Jones to get back to his dominant self.
Trey Flowers vs. OL Cameron Erving
As we highlighted, Flowers is one of the better defensive ends in the league and is a force against the run and pass. Responsible for blocking him will be Cameron Erving, who is filling in for the injured Eric Fisher. Erving has been inconsistent against the pass and flat-out bad in run blocking.
The onus may ultimately be on Andy Reid, who needs to scheme something up to help Erving out. Erving has to do his part though and continue to work on his footwork and technique.
OVERVIEW
While both of these teams are undefeated, the Lions have much more to prove than the Chiefs. This could put more pressure on the Chiefs, however, as it would be a considerable upset if they were to lose this game. It should be fun to watch Mahomes play his first-ever NFL game inside a dome stadium.
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