Dallas and Kansas City, who have recovered their offensive explosiveness, measure their forces at Arrowhead Stadium
Patrick mahomes was able to dispel all doubts about the offensive state of the Kansas City Chiefs as only he could. Five touchdown passes, 406 yards and a win. Repeat the trick on Sunday against Dallas Cowboys it would be a much more complicated act.
After averaging just 12 points in their previous three games, the Chiefs They beat a Las Vegas Raiders 41-14 who are among the league’s worst teams on defense and have a problem-ridden attack on and off the field. Declare that Kansas City (6-4) regained his championship level requires to overcome an opponent of much higher hierarchy.
And that’s just what they’ll have at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, when they host Dak Prescott already about Cowboys (7-2) coming off his own 40-point performance against the Atlanta Falcons.
From the hand of a completely recovered Prescott, a talented offensive cast and a defense that has performed well above expectations, the Cowboys they seek to ratify their status as protagonists before their own great synodal.
Only two of the victories of Dallas this year they have been against teams that currently have a winning record, against the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots. None of them, however, have the poster of the Chiefs. If the Cowboys they seek respect that goes beyond numbers, they have a chance to earn it in Kansas City.
“I have a lot of respect for them,” declared the head coach of Dallas Mike McCarthy. “But I wouldn’t say we set out to ‘we want to be like the Chiefs from Kansas City‘. They’re obviously the benchmark for their division and, frankly, for the NFL, simply because of the particular success they’ve had over the last three years. “
Until now, Dallas has been able to emulate the offensive success of past editions of the Chiefs, thanks to Prescott and his receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb (726 yards and six touchdowns) and Amari Cooper (583 yards and 5 touchdowns), who will miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19. In addition, they have rediscovered their balance with a rejuvenated Ezekiel Elliott leading the fourth-best running game in the NFL.
2:37
The Cowboys continue their preparation to face what they consider to be the most important game of their season against the Chiefs and for which they could have an important piece of their offense back.
—
Each of those names represents a major challenge for a defense of Kansas City that started with a sea of problems –32.6 points against in his first five games – and that, in some way, has rebuilt the road with just 15.6 points against in his five most recent games.
“They’re the No. 1 offense in the league in some categories,” the Los Angeles coach said. Chiefs Andy Reid. “Dak it’s good, so is Ezekiel, and the rest of the cast. They have a lot of good players on that side of the ball. It is a great challenge for our defense. Our boys know it. “
There are several ways in which Mahomes he can make the job easier for a defense that already has their hands full. The most important of them is taking care of the ball. The Chiefs they come into the game as the second-worst team in turnovers with 31, including 10 interceptions by their quarterback. Not a good sign when up front are Trevon Diggs (eight interceptions) and a defense that has stolen 17 balls this season, the fourth-best in the NFL.
Heading into their duel on Sunday night, the Chargers and Steelers They are two of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL, capable of defeating contenders and losing to clearly less talented teams. The guarantee is that they will deliver drama.
Three of the four defeats of the Chargers they have been by seven points or less and, in fact, six of their nine games this season have been defined by that margin. Pittsburgh it is not very far in that area. The last four games of the Steelers they have been defined by five points or less, including their draw against the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
The Chargers, who have fallen in three of their last four games to lose momentum in the AFC West, will seek solutions to a defense that has conceded at least 27 points in five straight games after allowing no more than 24 in any of the firsts. four of the campaign.
They will run into some Steelers full of questions. None more important than the availability of the quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was absent from the game last week for testing positive for COVID-19. Even with Big Ben behind the center, Steelers They are the 26th best offense in the league and are still looking to pass 30 points this season.
Despite the meager offensive production, Pittsburgh it has remained relevant. They have not lost in their last five games despite averaging 22 points per game. That figure might not be enough on Sunday in The Angels, due to the possible absences of three defensive starters: defensive end TJ Watt, cornerback Joe Haden and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, all with Pro Bowl experience.
The Week 11 began on Thursday night, with the triumph of the New England Patriots, 25-0, on the Atlanta Falcons.
A Mac Jones pass to Nelson Agholor represented the offense’s only touchdown in the game, but that was enough for the Patriots (7-4) will nullify Atlanta (4-6) and his anemic attack.
The Week 11 continues on Sunday with the following encounters: Indianapolis Colts (5-5) in Buffalo Bills (6-3); Washington (3-6) in Carolina Panthers (5-5); Baltimore Ravens (6-3) in Chicago Bears (3-6); Detroit Lions (0-8-1) in Cleveland Browns (5-5); San Francisco 49ers (4-5) in Jacksonville Jacksonville (2-7); Green Bay Packers (8-2) in Minnesota Vikings (4-5); Miami Dolphins (3-7) in New York Jets (2-7); New Orleans Saints (5-4) in Philadelphia Eagles (4-6); Houston Texans (1-8) in Tennessee Titans (8-2); Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) in Las Vegas Raiders (5-4); and Arizona Cardinals (8-2) in Seattle Seahawks (3-6).
The action concludes on Monday with the visit of the New York Giants (3-6) home of the champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak with Tom Brady as their quarterback.
The Denver Broncos (5-5) and Los Angeles Rams (7-3) have your week off.
– .
