The Kansas City Chiefs will look to remain unbeaten on Monday night with a prime-time showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here are some quick notes to know heading into the game.
1. Here's the final injury report for both teams.
The Chiefs will be without wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring), defensive end Mike Danna (pec strain) and cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (concussion protocol) on Monday. Additionally, rookie tight end Jared Wiley tore his ACL during Friday's practice and will miss the remainder of the season.
As for the Buccaneers, they'll be without their top two receiving options in Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (ankle). That's a big deal, as those two have combined for 76 catches (38% of the Buccaneers' total), 911 receiving yards (42%) and 11 receiving touchdowns (52%).
Tampa Bay will also be missing defensive tackle Greg Gaines (calf), who ranks third among Buccaneers' defensive tackles in snaps with 247. Tampa Bay is listing five players as "Questionable" for Monday as well, including some significant contributors in rookie tailback Bucky Irving (toe), wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring), safety Antoine Winfield (foot) and wide receiver Jalen McMillan (hamstring).
Winfield (Friday) and McMillian (Saturday), specifically, sustained their respective injuries late this week.
2. The Buccaneers will likely utilize their tight ends and running backs quite a bit in the passing game.
Tampa Bay owns the No. 4 scoring offense in the NFL at 29.4 points-per-game, and aside from Evans and Godwin's contributions, a major hallmark of the Buccaneers' offense has been their usage of running backs in the passing game.
Buccaneers' running backs lead the NFL in catches (54), receiving yards (491) and receiving touchdowns (4) this season. That production is due in large part to the efforts of tailback (and Kansas City native) Rachaad White, who has 28 catches for 236 yards and three scores, and rookie running back Bucky Irving, who has hauled in 20 grabs for 164 yards.
Additionally, tight end Cade Otton figures to have a busy night with Evans and Godwin both unavailable. Otton has drawn exactly 10 targets in each of the last two weeks, catching 17 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
It's all to say that quarterback Baker Mayfield, who leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 21, will still be firing the football on Monday despite missing his top two options. The Chiefs' defense, meanwhile, will aim to hold a sixth-straight opponent under 21 points (and a 29th consecutive opponent under 28 points).
Additionally, while Mayfield is off to the best statistical season of his career, his 14 "turnover worthy plays," as compiled by Pro Football Focus, rank second in the NFL.
3. Kansas City has been efficient on third down and in the red zone lately.
The Chiefs converted 12-of-16 third-down attempts last Sunday, marking their top conversion percentage (75%) in a game in which they faced 10 or more third downs since early in the 2021 season. Kansas City ranks second in the NFL in third down efficiency (50.5%), and when looking at individual games, the Chiefs have converted at least 40 percent of their third-down attempts in six of their seven contests this year. No team has done so in more games this season.
As for the red zone, Kansas City was 3-for-4 in terms of red zone efficiency last week after going 4-of-5 the week prior. The Chiefs' seven red zone touchdowns in that time trail only Baltimore (8). That efficiency on third down and in the red zone has led to at least 27 points in each of the last two weeks, and it's proven to be a winning formula.
In fact, the Chiefs rank third in the NFL in average time of possession (32:20), fifth in total number of 10-play drives (17) and sixth in rushing attempts-per-game (31.1). In other words, the Chiefs have mastered the art of ball control, and when paired with an efficient attack on third down and in the red zone – not to mention a great defense – this team has proven to be very difficult to beat.
Kansas City will look to execute that formula going on Monday against a Buccaneers' defense that ranks 19th on third down (38.8%) and 13th in the red zone (54.8%).
4. Tampa Bay has allowed 35 plays of 20+ yards this season.
The Buccaneers currently own the No. 28 scoring defense in the NFL (26.6 points-per-game) after allowing at least 27 points in each of their last four contests.
Tampa Bay has allowed 35 plays of 20+ yards this year, which ranks fifth in the league, and their 5.19 yards allowed-per-rush is the third-highest mark in the NFL. Additionally, the Buccaneers are yielding 255.4 passing yards-per-game – the fourth-highest mark in the league.
This group has struggled of late, but they still possess plenty of talent, and a key matchup to watch on Monday will be the battle between defensive tackle Vita Vea and center Creed Humphrey. Vea – who checks in at 347 pounds – is an excellent run-defender, and 26 of Kareem Hunt's 84 rushes this season (31%) have been on either side of the center.
5. The Chiefs are looking to win a 14th consecutive game.
Kansas City has won 13 straight games (including the playoffs), which marks the longest streak for any team since the Chiefs compiled a 13-game winning streak between the 2019-20 seasons. Those two streaks are tied for the longest in franchise history, and with a win on Monday, this current stretch would stand alone.
It all makes for what should be another exciting night at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium as Kansas City aims for its third 8-0 start in franchise history.
