J.B. Long@JB_Long
No doubt which team is the biggest threat to the #LARams first round bye: Chicago Bears.

Prime time three weeks from tonight.

Liz Habib@LizHabib
How big is the Chiefs-Rams MNF game? @NFL is putting an all-star team of refs on it. They don’t want any controversies on a big showcase game like this. #KCvsLAR

ESPN Stats@ESPNStatsInfo
Philadelphia’s 41-point loss to New Orleans is the largest by a defending Super Bowl champion.

Adnan Virk, ESPN@adnanESPN
It was as horrific to watch as this stat suggests

Alex’s leg is exactly like mine 33 yrs ago

— Joe Theismann (@Theismann7) November 18, 2018

==

Theismann injury was 33 years ago to the day…11/18, 1985.

Rams vs. Chiefs Means Another Matchup Between Phillips and Reid

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-vs-chiefs-means-another-matchup-between-phillips-and-reid

Quotes & Notes 11/17/18: Pharoh Cooper Gets More Work, Fowler a Long-time Fan of Wade Phillips

https://www.therams.com/news/quotes-notes-11-17-18-pharoh-cooper-gets-more-work-fowler-a-long-time-fan-of-wad

Injury Report 11/17: Rams Good to Go, Chiefs List Watkins as Questionable

https://www.therams.com/news/injury-report-11-17-rams-good-to-go-chiefs-list-watkins-as-questionable

Game Preview: Rams and Chiefs Set for a Special Game in the Coliseum

https://www.therams.com/news/game-preview-rams-and-chiefs-set-for-a-special-game-in-the-coliseum

Chiefs vs. Rams: 4 key matchups to watch on Monday night
Cameron DaSilva

Chiefs vs. Rams: 4 key matchups to watch on Monday night

Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins officially questionable for MNF

http://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/73571/Chiefs-WR-Sammy-Watkins-officially-questionable-for-MNF

Offenses get the spotlight, but defenses could decide outcome of Chiefs-Rams showdown

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article221795155.html#storylink=rss

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Rams wearing color rush jerseys on Monday night

Rams are best team in NFL at pressuring QBs
Cameron DaSilva

Rams are best team in NFL at pressuring QBs

Colorado Springs was intended to be the place the #Rams came to train for the high altitude of Mexico City. But for a team dealing with real-life issues back home in L.A., it’s became something far more important. My story for ⁦@TheAthletic⁩ https://t.co/rvqqKNjZPH

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) November 17, 2018

collected/formatted by Prime Time

———————-

PFT’s Week 11 picks

Chiefs at Rams

MDS’s take: Maybe the best game of this NFL season. Call it a hunch, but I think the Chiefs pull off the road upset.

MDS’s pick: Chiefs 31, Rams 28.

Florio’s take: The Rams’ defense isn’t great, but it’s good enough to slow down the Chiefs’ offense a little more than the Chiefs’ defense will slow down the Rams’ offense.

Florio’s pick: Rams 41, Chiefs 38.

————–

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/pete-priscos-week-11-picks-rodgers-leads-packers-over-seahawks-rams-score-40-plus-in-win-over-chiefs/

Why the Rams will score 40-plus and beat the Chiefs.

—————

link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/sports/nfl-picks-week-11.html

Chiefs at Rams, 8:15 p.m. (Monday), ESPN

The N.F.L. could hardly have asked for a more exciting Monday night game. The Chiefs and the Rams, both 9-1, have widely been considered Super Bowl contenders all season and are the best teams in football, along with the New Orleans Saints.

The talent is off the charts. Patrick Mahomes has already set the Chiefs’ franchise record for touchdown passes in a season (31) with six games to play. He is flanked by ultrafast skill players like Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt, and he has a knack for knowing when to take advantage of coverage mismatches on tight end Travis Kelce.

The Rams were the top-scoring offense in the N.F.L. last season, and they have mostly picked up where they left off, with Jared Goff commanding an offense that has Todd Gurley, the best running back in football, and a group of wide receivers that manages to be top-notch even once you account for the loss of Cooper Kupp, who is out for the year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

While Los Angeles has plenty of big-name players on defense as well, neither team has done much defensively of late, which has led to the record-breaking over/under of 63.5 points.

Hugely hyped matchups can tend to disappoint, but the all-offense, very-little-defense approach both teams have employed in recent weeks should be a recipe for a game that delivers. The only disappointment is it won’t be in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium as a result of the field conditions being judged unsuitable for an N.F.L. game.

In truth, the winner of this game is anyone’s guess. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum isn’t a huge home-field advantage for the Rams, and with most other things being equal, taking the underdog and the points seems like the smarter pick. Pick: Chiefs +3.5

—————-

http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/week-11-nfl-picks-predictions-rams-chiefs-falcons-cowboys-packers-seahawks/18jkyvky3bcen17c9l5lvy20rd

Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) vs. Los Angeles Rams (9-1) in Mexico City

Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

This is what everyone’s been waiting for since late September, when they both looked unbeatable. They’ve both lost, but the Chiefs still look more unbeatable with an offense that keeps overcoming their defense’s obvious shortcomings. The Rams’ defense has shown its flaws in recent weeks, too. It comes down to which defense can be trusted more, for the whole game or for any given make-or-break play. That one’s easy — the Rams. Until they prove otherwise, that is.

Prediction: Rams, 38-34

————–

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2805970-bleacher-reports-expert-consensus-week-11-nfl-picks

Before the NFL moved Monday night’s highly touted matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams from Mexico City to Southern California, most sportsbooks had the Rams favored by 2.5 points.

That might have been tempting to those considering the Rams at a neutral site, but the line has since shifted to 3.5 in most spots.

In that case, our guys are in agreement that the Chiefs are the pick.

“I was actually originally on the Rams here at -2.5, but the spread keeps climbing,” said Davenport. “I still think the Rams have the better defense, and it’s entirely possible they’ll win a close one at home. But that’s the problem. I get a vibe from this one that’s very similar to the Chiefs-Patriots shootout a few weeks back—that this will be a back-and-forth affair that will be won by whoever has the ball last. A three-point spread feels like a push waiting to happen, and as soon as that spread moved past it, I’m taking the points and Kansas City.”

Gagnon and Sobleski actually have the Chiefs winning straight-up against a Rams team that has only been surviving of late, even at home. They’ve won their last three games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by just one score each.

“The Chiefs are simply playing better football at the moment,” Sobleski said. “The Rams have trailed during the second half of their last three games. Plus, quarterback Jared Goff just lost his security blanket, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, to a season-ending knee injury. Kansas City, meanwhile, is cruising along with double-digit victories in three of their last four contests. With the Rams getting a traditional three-point home spread, the Chiefs are an easy choice.”

Score Prediction: Kansas City 35, Los Angeles 34

————–

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000988382/article/nfl-week-11-game-picks-rams-edge-chiefs-cowboys-stay-hot

Los Angeles Rams 42, Kansas City Chiefs 38

8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN) | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)

Well, what was once an international game has become a home affair for the Rams. A lot of folks watching this game will be concerned about the Chiefs’ defense facing perhaps the most dynamic offense in the league. The Rams rank first in net yards per pass attempt (8.6), first-down efficiency (percent of plays gaining four or more yards), 10-yard plays (183), lowest percentage of drives going three-and-out (8.2) and pass plays going for 20 or more yards (50).

They are so effective on first down that the success makes the whole operation manageable for Jared Goff. The Chiefs also rank 31st in stopping offenses from gaining 4-plus yards on first down. Thus, at least in this game, first down will be more important than third down. That is a pro football rarity. The Chiefs will be asking a lot of Patrick Mahomes. Look for Andy Reid to call for several designed roll-outs and misdirection plays to neutralize, or at least tame, Aaron Donald’s impact.

What a great look into Sean McVay. https://t.co/213fBT1iqv

— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) November 15, 2018

from Rams Q&A: Vinny Bonsignore

the Saints and Chiefs defenses give up more points on average per game. I think we almost have to come to grips in today’s NFL that it’s going to more about making plays when needed to give the offense a couple more cracks at points that the opposition. I’m talking about in games against good offenses. Heck, look at the last two Super Bowls

And let’s remember, this is a top 12 defense in terms of points given up per game. That’s better than both the Saints and Chiefs, the two teams they are most compared to. So while it is frustrating to fans, they aren’t playing poorly relative to the other teams vying for the Super Bowl and playoff seeding. And they do do a great job of making plays when absolutely needed

I think this is a game where the interior of the Rams defense makes some plays. And also the ILB in run support. But make no mistake, the Chiefs are going to throw it. A lot. Rams really need some pressure coming off the edge

I think the Rams are looking at everything to put Marcus in better situations. I thought he played well on Sunday, even though the throw attempts were minimal. Everyone I talk to says Joyner is playing his assigned role, and his lack of action is the result of that, not level of play

. Broncos/Packers combined for 10 sacks against Rams, mostly the result of LB’s. I’m sure Chiefs are trying to come up with a similar scheme

I don’t know about Cooper starting, but I think we’ll see him on the active roster and contributing fairly soon

I think Josh Reynolds gets the bulk of the time. I also think you’ll see more 12 personnel with the TE’s being more involved

We have not had access to Aaron since the video surfaced. We will talk to him this week. Safe to say Sean’s had conversations, if not individually with both players certainly as a group. He was as mad as I’ve ever seen him Sunday and rightfully so

Sean’s message, and I agree with him, is during the game you keep your cool. Period. Whether it’s a bad call or a team trying to lull them into saying or doing something to cause a flag, you don’t fall for it. You play on. Through whatever frustration or anger you might have. Some of which is absolutely warranted. It’s the only way to ensure not beating yourselves with reactionary penalties. That said, don’t think for a second Sean doesn’t work the officials during the game when he thinks calls aren’t being made.

Dante’s gotta zip it. Period. And he knows that. That’s not what the Rams want to be about. At all.

Comparing and contrasting Rams and Kansas City Chiefs high-powered offenses

link: https://www.dailynews.com/2018/11/14/comparing-and-contrasting-rams-and-kansas-city-chiefs-high-powered-offenses/

Vaunted offenses meet in Chiefs’ relocated clash with Rams

https://sports.yahoo.com/vaunted-offenses-meet-chiefs-relocated-clash-rams-224746696–nfl.html

Chiefs-Rams showdown: Marcus Peters-Patrick Mahomes matchup

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article221732560.html

Are 2018 Chiefs the new ‘Greatest Show on Turf?’ Here’s what 2 architects of the ’99 Rams say

https://sports.yahoo.com/2018-chiefs-new-greatest-show-turf-heres-2-architects-99-rams-say-003400715.html

Al Saunders doesn’t miss much these days. From his press box vantage point high above the field at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Cleveland Browns’ senior offensive assistant is charged with surveying defenses and suggesting concepts the Browns can hit their opposition with in games.

Saunders will occasionally peek at the opposing team’s offense. Some teams are harder to ignore than others, and the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs, the team the Browns faced on Nov. 4, certainly qualified for that distinction.

Throughout the course of the game, which the Chiefs won 37-21 while racking up a ridiculous 499 yards of offense, Saunders couldn’t help but experience déjà vu.

Saunders, 71, has been fortunate to be an assistant on the staffs of three generational offenses in the late ‘90s St. Louis Rams, the early aughts Chiefs and Dan Fouts-led Chargers of the ’80s.

For Saunders, the 2018 Chiefs — who are outpacing the Rams in points-per-game (35.3 to 32.9) and yards per game (305.5 to 272.1) — are channeling the spirit of those teams, not so much in the concepts they run, but in the efficiency, speed and confidence they play with.

“You can see there’s no hesitation with what they do, and you can sense how players move … they believe every time they have the ball, they’re going to score — and that’s what we always used to feel [on those other teams],” Saunders told Yahoo Sports. “If we didn’t [score], we knew it was because of something we did, not what the defense did to us.”

Saunders, who was an assistant head coach and wide receivers coach in St. Louis, isn’t the only staff member with a link to the ’99 Rams to see the connection. While Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator of the ’99 Rams, said through a spokesman that he hasn’t watched enough tape of the Chiefs to make a comparison, the head coach of that team, Dick Vermeil, sees similarities.

“There are similarities, and I take pride in it,” Vermeil told Yahoo Sports. “To me, in my mind, the Chiefs are the team to beat. If you’re going to win it all, you’re going to have to beat the Chiefs.”

Start with QBs: Patrick Mahomes vs. Kurt Warner

Vermeil, 82, is focused on his wine business these days, but football is never far from his mind. A notorious grinder during his coaching prime, he still has a very curious mind about the game, and he devotes his Sundays to watching the game he still deeply loves.

“I have three sittings — one o’clock, 4:30 and 8 o’clock, and I very seldom stay awake until the end of the game unless it’s someone I really like,” Vermeil says with a hearty laugh.

Like Saunders, Vermeil appreciates the Chiefs’ fast-paced, efficient offense, which is led by 23-year-old wunderkind, Patrick Mahomes, an MVP candidate who is on pace to complete 67 percent of his passes and throw for 5,040 yards, 50 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first year as a starter.

“They have a quarterback excelling beyond expectations, which is a direct parallel between an undrafted free agent who became a Hall of Famer,” Vermeil said, referring to his MVP quarterback on the ’99 Rams, Kurt Warner.

“I’ve watched about three whole games of the Chiefs, and the first time I watched them, I kept saying ‘Holy mackerel, is Patrick Mahomes for real or what?’” Vermeil said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a kid that can throw the ball accurately from so many body positions.”

Key emphasis is on the word “kid” because Warner’s ability to throw from different platforms and arm angles was without peer during his time.

Saunders sees two more similarities between Mahomes and Warner, too, traits that he says are shared by the likes of Joe Montana and Fouts.

“The two [other] things they have that are similar are accuracy and courage,” Saunders said, “Pat reminds me of Kurt because he has courage enough to stay in the pocket in the face of a rush, and he throws the ball very accurately and gets the ball out of his hand quickly.

“You take those three qualities, and the Joe Montanas, Dan Fouts and Kurt Warners can do all that. They were mentally, emotionally and physically very tough and those are the similarities I see in him.”

Coaching and supporting cast matters

For all of Mahomes’ brilliance, Saunders and Vermeil agree that he wouldn’t be ripping the league up like this without significant help, particularly when it comes to coaching.

“It didn’t surprise me that [Alex] Smith could run it well,” Vermeil said of the Chiefs’ former quarterback. “He’s bright, he’s talented. But to take a kid in his second year and put him in that sophisticated, mature system and have him operate it like he does, I think it’s way beyond normal.”

Much of the credit for that goes to the 60-year-old Reid, who is in his 20th season as an NFL head coach. What started out as the shotgun-less, West Coast offense taught by Bill Walsh in the 80s, Mike Holmgren in the 90s and Reid in the 2000s, has morphed into a shotgun-heavy, college-style spread that has become known for its multiple formations, personnel groupings and pre-snap motions.

Reid’s offense is ahead of the curve, and one that’s a perfect fit for Mahomes, who played in the pass-happy Air Raid system at Texas Tech in college. No team in the NFL runs as many run-pass options as the Chiefs, and on a week-to-week basis, you’ll see a few teams outright run a play the Chiefs put on tape weeks before.

The degree to which the Chiefs (and New Orleans Saints, for that matter) are ahead of the league like this reminds Saunders of what happened when the “Greatest Show on Turf” was ripping up defenses with its commitment to deep passing concepts, creative use of Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk in the passing game and varied rushing attack.

“The similarity is the creativity on offense, the willingness to think outside the box and be trendsetters in [a] way [the] offense is designed, rather than being conservative and predictable,” Saunders explained.

View photos
Marshall Faulk had a career-high 2,429 yards from scrimmage in the Rams’ Super Bowl season of 1999. (AP)
More
Conceptually, the Chiefs incorporate running back Kareem Hunt in the passing game a tremendous amount, just like the Rams did with Faulk, and when you add in a supporting cast that is elite at multiple skill positions — which is incredibly difficult to replicate in today’s era of parity — you get the final similarity between the ’18 Chiefs and ’99 Rams.

It’s too early to tell whether the Chiefs’ dynamic skill players — from Hunt and receiver Tyreek Hill to tight end Travis Kelce — will be in the Hall of Fame like Faulk (and likely receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce). But Hunt, Hill and Kelce are all Pro Bowlers who are on pace to approach or exceed their career-best seasons, due largely to the combination of Mahomes’ quick release and accuracy in an up-tempo scheme designed to hit ’em where they ain’t, just like the ’99 Rams.

“What they do really well is spread the field from sideline to sideline and from end zone to end zone,” Saunders explained. “They use the entire field and put playmakers in space and allow them to run — they don’t beat their head against the wall. And by giving the defense so many different looks, it allows them to create big plays because the defense does one or two things to Kansas City: you either pressure them man to man or play very conservative.

“Either way, Kansas City’s offense is able to take advantage of that.”

Here’s where the Rams have an edge

While the ’18 Chiefs are primarily a zone-running team — albeit one that’s designed with shifts and motions to provoke pre-snap confusion in a defense — the ’99 Rams were more multiple with their run game.

“We had a conglomeration of everything and an offensive line that could do it all,” Vermeil says. “We could run the power O, we could run the trap, we could pull the tackles, we could pull the center and we could zone block.”

What’s more, while the Chiefs are similarly creative with their short passing and screen game, the concepts with which they accomplish that are different. Run-pass options, an integral part of the Chiefs’ offense, didn’t exist in the NFL in ’99.

“They also don’t have a Hall of Fame left tackle,” Vermeil added. “That was a big edge for us.”

Indeed, Orlando Pace’s brilliance allowed the Rams to consistently execute those deep pass plays — often with little blocking help, other than Faulk — they became so well known for.

“One thing that separated us in St. Louis was the ability to throw downfield with comebacks and deep ins,” Saunders said. “Kansas City isn’t quite into that phase of the game, but they attack the seams real well, and we all learned from Don Coryell that the best way to attack a defense is to attack the seams, and they maximize that.”

There’s also the defenses. The ’99 Rams were much better on that side of the ball than anyone remembers, while the 2018 Chiefs currently rank 29th on defense, 23rd against the run.

“We were No. 6 overall in the league, No. 1 against the run, [even though] that stat is a little distorted since people couldn’t run because they were playing catchup,” Vermeil said with a laugh.

The Rams’ defense also scored eight touchdowns, far exceeding the two the Chiefs have thus far this season.

There’s still much for the Chiefs to prove

While no team found an answer for the ’99 Rams’ offense, the Chiefs, at 9-1, may still find their nemesis. Perhaps it will come as soon as Monday night, when they take to the road to face the Los Angeles Rams (9-1) in the biggest game of this regular season.

And while the Rams’ vaunted defense — which was expected to be generational by many at the beginning of the season — has fallen short of that expectation, ranking only 13th this year, they feature a strong pass rush led by the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald.

“I think the only way you’re going to stop them is by having a dominating defensive pass rush,” Vermeil says of the Chiefs.

And if they conquer enough strong defenses over a prolonged period, Saunders said, and then — and only then — will the Chiefs earn the right to be called the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

“This is a one-year explosion, and if they can continue it for two, three, four or five years, then they can be talked about in the same conversation as the ’99 Rams or Air Coryell,” Saunders said. “Like anything in this league, it’s enduring over a period of time. They certainly have a good head start, but they still aren’t the No. 1 offense statistically — New Orleans is [second] and Tampa is [first].

“But my gut feeling is, with that young quarterback, they’re going to be very good for a long time.”

Still, Saunders doesn’t bristle at the comparison between the ’18 Chiefs and ’99 Rams. Like Vermeil, he appreciates it.

“Oh, gosh no,” Saunders said, incredulously. “That would be like Van Gogh saying, ‘Gosh, I don’t like Picasso’s work.’ Are you kidding me? You appreciate artistry as a coach.”

Vermeil broke out a similar comparison.

“The 2003 Cadillac was a heck of a car — it was ahead of the game, it had technology in it the first spaceships didn’t even have,” Vermeil said. “But each year, that car gets better with new technology. Now it’s 2018, and that new Cadillac has more technology in it than that 2003 Cadillac.

“It’s the same thing with offensive football for the most part — they learn from everybody else. And right now, I think Andy Reid’s teaching everybody else.”