The Kansas City Chiefs will look to carry a perfect record into the bye week as they take on the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
Here are five things to keep in mind heading into game day.
1. Here's a look at the final injury report for both teams.
The Chiefs will be without wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) on Monday following Rice's placement on Injured Reserve earlier this week. The extent of the injury is still unknown, as Rice will undergo further testing next week once the swelling in his knee subsides.
Aside from Rice, the Chiefs listed running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) as "Doubtful" and wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) as "Questionable" for Monday.
As for the Saints, their injury report is substantial. New Orleans listed 15 players on its report during the week, and of those, several have either already been ruled out or are carrying injury designations into Monday's game.
At the top of that list is do-it-all playmaker Taysom Hill (ribs), who won't play on Monday. Hill has 14 rushes for 77 yards and two touchdowns this year, but his numbers don't tell the full story. His athleticism while operating as a "wildcat" quarterback makes New Orleans even more difficult to defend, especially in goal-to-go situations, where Hill has both of his touchdown runs. His absence is significant.
The Saints will also be without starting Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy, who was placed on Injured Reserve last week, and starting right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee) on Monday, among others.
Here's a look at the complete injury report for both teams.
2. Saints' Tailback Alvin Kamara leads the NFL in touches, scrimmage yards and touchdowns.
The 29-year-old Kamara is off to a tremendous start this season with 97 touches for 536 scrimmage yards and six total touchdowns. He leads the NFL in all three categories, and as you would expect, his production has been central to the success of New Orleans' offense. In fact, Kamara has touched the ball on 46 percent of the Saints' offensive plays, and as a result, he's accounted for 38 percent of New Orleans' total scrimmage yards as a team.
His efforts have been central to the league's No. 1 scoring offense through Week 4 (31.8 points-per-game), but upon a closer look, the Saints' offensive output has been a mixed bag. New Orleans began the year as the hottest team in the NFL, scoring a league-most 91 points through the first two weeks of the season and winning both of those games by at least three touchdowns. The Saints have averaged just 18 points-per-game over the last two weeks, however, while dropping both contests (to Philadelphia and Atlanta).
What's interesting is that no matter the end result, Kamara has consistently performed. He's one of only two players (joining Saquon Barkley) to record at least 110 scrimmage yards in every game this year.
Kamara is simply one of the most productive players in the NFL yet again, and the Chiefs will need to find a way to contain him on Monday night.
3. New Orleans runs the ball at the highest rate of any team in the league.
The Saints piled up a handful of explosive passing plays through the first few weeks of the season, but somewhat surprisingly, New Orleans has actually kept the ball on the ground at the highest rate of any team in the NFL (57%) this year while gaining at least four yards on 52.9 percent of those runs (which also leads the league). Specifically, the Saints have thrived on runs to the outside. New Orleans leads the league in runs to the left (59 plays) and runs to the right (67 plays) while ranking last in the NFL in runs up the middle (12 plays).
The effectiveness of that rushing attack has allowed New Orleans to frequently put together long, methodical drives that often stay ahead of the chains. The Saints have recorded a "three-and-out" rate of just 10 percent (third-lowest in the NFL), eight drives of 10 or more plays (ninth in the NFL), nine drives of at least five minutes (fourth in the NFL) and only eight third-down attempts that needed at least 10 yards to convert (fewest in the NFL).
New Orleans gains at least four yards on first down 54.2 percent of the time (sixth in the NFL), and consequently, no team has more third down attempts (22) or conversions (15) on 3rd-and-4 or shorter than the Saints. Those numbers have helped New Orleans compile the second-best third-down conversion rate overall in the NFL (53.2%).
Additionally, the Saints' running game has set up an efficient and explosive play-action passing game. New Orleans has thrown the ball at lowest rate of any team in the league (43.2%), and overall, the Saints have tallied the second-fewest plays of 20+ yards (rushing or passing) in the NFL. It's all to say that they don't take deep shots in the passing game often, but when they have – especially when play action has been involved – it's often worked.
Quarterback Derek Carr has utilized play-action on 32.1 percent of his dropbacks this year (the third-highest rate in the league), and his three passing touchdowns on play-action trail only the Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold. The man on the other end of some of those big plays has been wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who has touchdown receptions of 59 yards and 70 yards on the season.
In summary, the Saints' ability to run the football effectively sets up everything else for them offensively. It keeps them in manageable third downs and, on occasion, creates opportunities for an efficient play-action passing game. If the Chiefs are to slow down New Orleans' offense on Monday, it all begins with containing their high-powered rushing attack.
It's no mistake that the Saints ranked third in the NFL in total rushing yards (370) through the first two weeks of the year (both wins) and 17th (220 yards) over the last two weeks (both losses).
4. The Chiefs continue to impress against opposing running backs this year.
With that mandate in mind, the good news for the Chiefs is that their defense has excelled at containing opposing running backs this season. Kansas City has held opposing tailbacks to an average of just 3.1 yards-per-carry on the year despite facing the likes of Derrick Henry (46 yards), J.K. Dobbins (32 yards) and Bijan Robinson (31 yards) among others. Kansas City hasn't allowed a single running back to top 50 rushing yards in a game this year, joining the Baltimore Ravens as the only teams to do so.
The overall rushing numbers are a bit skewed because of Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson's efforts (122 rushing yards) against Kansas City in Week 1. Jackson is obviously a unique assignment, and if his numbers are removed, the Chiefs rank second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (behind only the Ravens) and first in yards-per-attempt (2.7). Regardless of Jackson's production, Kansas City still ranks eighth in the league in yards allowed (396) and fourth in yards-per-attempt (3.84).
It sets up a "best-on-best" matchup on Monday between the Saints' ground attack and the Chiefs' rushing defense. Whichever side comes out on top in that specific matchup will likely win the game.
5. New Orleans' defense has thrived on takeaways.
The Saints currently own the No. 6 scoring defense (17.5 points-per-game) in the NFL, and while it ranks in the middle of the pack in several categories (including yards allowed, where New Orleans ranks 17th in the league), the Saints have excelled in two areas: takeaways and red zone defense.
New Orleans has allowed the fourth-fewest red zone drives of any team (9), and even when teams have managed to get into the red zone, the Saints have held opponents without a touchdown a league-best 77.8 percent of the time. That red zone efficiency has paired well with the Saints' ability to create turnovers, as New Orleans' six interceptions rank third in the NFL.
The good news is that New Orleans ranks 15th in the NFL on third down (35.4%), 26th in average yards-per-rush allowed (4.77) and 28th in total yards after-the-catch allowed (523), while the Saints' 15 plays allowed of 20+ yards are the eighth-most in the league.
So, the recipe for Kansas City is pretty simple: avoid turnovers, and finish in the red zone. New Orleans has excelled at winning in those two areas so far this season, and it's made up for some struggles in other categories. The Chiefs will aim to reverse that trend on Monday.
It all makes for what should be a great game on Monday night, and with the bye waiting on the other side, Kansas City will aim to maintain its perfect record in front of a prime-time audience.
