Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Rams: Rob Ryan previews Monday night's meeting of the NFL's best
Watch the Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Rams, live on Sky Sports Action from 1am on Tuesday
Tuesday 20 November 2018 10:21, UK
The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams have dazzled observers on their way to sharing NFL-best 9-1 starts to the season. They now meet in a mouthwatering Monday Night Football in Week 11 - live on Sky Sports Action from 1am, Tuesday - and so we asked former NFL defensive coach Rob Ryan to break down the key matchups...
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Everybody has been waiting for this one! All eyes have been on this game in the schedule for weeks now.
These teams are so similar, it's eerie. Both are 9-1. Both have superstar quarterbacks, elite running backs, skilled receivers and playing for outstanding offensive coaches - Andy Reid and Sean McVay, if they're not the best, they're right up there in the top three.
There are so many angles to this game. It's going to be fun to watch.
Patrick Mahomes vs Jared Goff
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
315.0 yards per game, 67.0 completion percentage, 31 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 117.4 passer rating
Jared Goff (Rams)
313.4 yards per game, 68.4 completion percentage, 22 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 113.0 passer rating
Mahomes and Goff are MVP-calibre, premier quarterbacks. The numbers they're putting up are just ridiculous.
You've got guys like Tom Brady and Drew Brees still dominating in this league, and people have been wondering who will take up the mantle once they do eventually move on. Well, here are two quarterbacks that are going to be talked about for the next 15 years.
Some of the young quarterbacks that just got drafted this year - Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold etc - may well get there too, though right now they are struggling. But they've got talent.
These two really made the leap in their second year though, Goff last season and Mahomes this. It takes a while to grow into that position in the NFL, and you can see that with both of these guys.
It's crazy to think this is technically Mahomes' first year. He sat for all but one game of his rookie season and he has just taken the league by storm.
Obviously he has the bigger arm, but Goff's isn't bad either. They're real accurate throwers and both of them are big buys that can move around.
They're really smart too. They are part of great offensive systems but, in order to be successful in those systems, you have to be smart.
They're so similar. I don't think you can give the edge to either one of them, because they're both so good. I'll call that a push.
Coach Ryan's verdict: PUSH
Kareem Hunt vs Todd Gurley
Kareem Hunt (Chiefs)
754 yards rushing, 7 touchdowns; 337 yards receiving, 6 touchdowns
Todd Gurley (Rams)
988 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns; 402 yards receiving, 4 touchdowns
Gurley is incredible. Not just out of the backfield, but catching the ball too.
I know Hunt catches the ball to good effect too, but not like Gurley. He is just ridiculous.
Gurley is on pace to become only the third player ever to lead the league in scrimmage yards and touchdowns in back-to-back years.
There was the little matter of a guy called Jim Brown who did it. And, before him, there was Don Hutson, a receiver for the Green Bay Packers, who did it about 1,000 years ago!
That's pretty elite company and shows you just how tough it is to do. So, I'm going to just edge for Gurley.
Coach Ryan's verdict: RAMS
Supporting cast
Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
891 yards receiving, 55 catches, 16.2 average, 9 touchdowns
Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
787 yards receiving, 57 catches, 13.8 average, 6 touchdowns
Brandin Cooks (Rams)
857 yards receiving, 51 catches, 16.8 average, 3 touchdowns
Robert Woods (Rams)
832 yards receiving, 55 catches, 15.1 average, 3 touchdowns
Hill and Cooks lead the way. Both have elite speed and are smaller guys.
That's strange in the NFL, with the trend generally moving towards these bigger-bodied receivers - the Julio Jones, A.J. Green mould. Yet, Hill and Cooks are so explosive, so fast, that they can take the top off of any defense.
I've worked with Cooks first hand while with the Saints, and so I know just how good he is, but I think Hill is even better, which is saying something.
For the Chiefs, as well as Hill, there's also Sammy Watkins - returning to play his former team - and then the Rams had three guys on course for 1,000-yard years, before Cooper Kupp was lost for the year to injury.
Woods is having a remarkable year for the Rams though. He was the best receiver my brother and I had by far when we were in Buffalo, and when the Bills got rid of us, they got rid of him too. That was a big mistake!
He is so tough, he catches all the balls across the middle that nobody else wants to go get, and he blocks like a freight train.
He is a tight end, but Kelce does a similar job for the Chiefs. He is flexed out more than he is in line, so he acts more like a receiver and, when he does block, he's just devastating. He is so big!
Coach Ryan's verdict: CHIEFS
Defense
Dee Ford (Chiefs)
9.0 sacks, 30 tackles, 20 quarterback hits, 7 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles
Aaron Donald (Rams)
12.5 sacks, 34 tackles, 26 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble
Flip it to defense, and both of these teams have two really old, established defensive coordinators in Bob Sutton, for the Chiefs, and Wade Phillips, for the Rams.
Obviously, with Donald up front, the Rams have the defensive player of the year right there. He is operating in another world to everyone else at the moment! Also, Dee Ford for the Chiefs could well be in contention for the comeback player of the year, because he has been outstanding rushing the passer as well.
The Aqib Talib injury has really hurt the Rams though. It means they're putting more on Marcus Peters, who is really struggling. But, he'll be keen to make a point and play well against his former team.
While they're really well coached, both teams are actually struggling a bit on defense. The Chiefs are getting better, playing with more confidence, and, Eric Berry hasn't played one game yet this season. If they can get him back, he's a bonafide star and will make them better.
As for the Rams, they're particularly struggling against the run of late. But, you saw it last week, when they really needed it, their pass rush won them that game against the Seattle Seahawks.
As well as Donald, they've now got that edge-rush help they needed in Dante Fowler Jr. He did some dumb, selfish things last Sunday and gave away some penalties, but he, along with Donald and Ndamakong Suh - how crazy is it that he's a secondary guy - creates for a relentless defensive line.
My god are they tough.
Coach Ryan's verdict: RAMS
Andy Reid vs Sean McVay
Andy Reid (Chiefs)
Career win-loss record: 203-134-1 (.602); Playoff record: 11-13 (.458)
Sean McVay (Rams)
Career win-loss record: 20-6 (.769); Playoff record: 0-1 (.000)
I'm going to go with Reid. Because he's the older, veteran coach, and I'm old too.
He has been there forever, one of the original 'offensive guru' style coaches.
He's just fantastic. I was dumb enough to turn down a coordinator job off of him once, so that was pretty stupid, but that's another story.
McVay is the young, hot gun. He's a special coach, but I'm sure he aspires to be like Reid.
He's setting the trend. Now everyone wants to hire a McVay - but there aren't a whole lot of them out there. That's what makes these guys so special, as there have been a whole lot more failures than those who make it like these two have.
Coach Ryan's verdict: CHIEFS
Summary
The key to the game is someone is going to have to play some defense. That would be a start.
Both teams are going to get the ball in their playmakers' hands, so there is going to be fireworks! That much I can promise you.
I'm tempted to say a tie, because they're so evenly matched. But we don't need another one of them - we've had too many ties this season already.
It's interesting that the game got moved from Mexico City, so it's now home-field advantage for the Rams, which is a big deal in the NFL.
Both teams struggle stopping the run, so you've got to ground and pound the ball to win in this game - it can't just be all about Mahomes and Goff - and the Rams might be that little bit better than the Chiefs in running the ball.
I like that match-up and, with the game back in Los Angeles, I'm leaning towards the Rams.
Coach Ryan's pick: RAMS
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