Photo courtesy of Tyreek Hill, Twitter
Throughout the season, there have been two teams with prolific offenses, both 9-1 and looking to make the Super Bowl in their respective conferences: the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs. Luckily for NFL fans, they’ll be able to witness a matchup between the two on Monday Night Football.
Yet, before getting into the game, there was a last second decision made upon where the game would be played. It was supposed to be part of the league’s international series by playing at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico.
Unfortunately, field conditions proved to be too risky to play as they began to prepare for the game earlier in the week. Before players could protest the field conditions, the NFL moved the game back to Los Angeles in the LA Memorial Coliseum.
Now, back to the game.
Patrick Mahomes is still impressing every opponent he’s gone up against, as last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals has brought him up to 31 touchdown passes on the season. Whether it’s Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce with the ball in their hands, good things are going to keep happening for Kansas City’s offense.
Head coach Andy Reid is an offensive mastermind and has utilized his weapons on offense with consistency and creativity.
Their defense also picked up the slack last week as they only allowed 14 points and intercepted Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen two times. With linebacker Justin Houston and safety Daniel Sorensen back in the lineup, it looks as if Kansas City is just waiting for Eric Berry to return from a lingering heel injury he’s been dealing with.
The Rams also have an offense that can get chunk plays through the air and on the ground; the two most responsible being Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, who have been killing it this season. Gurley is even being considered as an MVP candidate, a recognition that is tough to accomplish for a running back.
Despite wide receiver Cooper Kupp tearing his ACL last week against the Seattle Seahawks, they still have Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks to rely on. Their offensive line is also one of the strongest units in the league, as its anchored by Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
Although big names like Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Marcus Peters roam the field for the defense, the unit has been inconsistent as a whole. They rank 24th in the league against the run and let up 45 points in a pivotal matchup against the Saints in Week 9.
Though the game is in Los Angeles, in a way it’s still a neutral sight since the Rams don’t have an intimidating home-field advantage by any means. This was evident when the Falcons played them on the road last year in the Wild Card Round and came away with an easy victory.
It’s bound to be a high scoring affair between two of the best offenses in the league, and NFL viewers will be hoping that the projections become a reality. The over/under for the game is 64, the highest over/under since 1986. This could possibly be the most anticipated game of the season up to this point, and it could affect the outcome of the AFC and NFC playoff pictures moving forward.
jscalia@ramapo.edu
