|
Still, Mahomes knows his ability to solve defensive wrinkles is
key.
"They're probably going to do some type of different two-high
stuff. They're not going to sit back and give us the exact same
coverage every single time," Mahomes said. "They're going to try
to find ways to confuse me and confuse this offense. We've got
to make in-game adjustments and take what's there."
Kansas City did that with slick effectiveness last week when it
attacked the Las Vegas Raiders for a whopping 516 yards,
including 406 yards and five touchdowns through the air from
Mahomes. The 41-14 romp thrust the Chiefs into first place in
the AFC West.
"The run game helped that," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of the
complimentary football Darrel Williams fueled with a mix of runs
and receptions (20 touches) for 144 yards. "It's about being
physical, and the better you are in the run game, the better you
can be with play-action."
Could the Chiefs be regaining the form that landed them in each
of the past three AFC Championship Games and two straight Super
Bowls?
An answer to that question cannot be based solely on Mahomes'
ability to finally exert patience and take shorter gains
underneath with opponents guarding against the Chiefs' deep
threats.
The Kansas City defense plays into the equation, especially
after allowing 12.7 points on average during the current
three-game winning streak, though the Chiefs are tied for 31st
in yards allowed per play (6.2). Dallas just happens to rank
first offensively with a 6.3-yard average per play.
"They're the No. 1 offense in the league in a few different
categories," Reid said before singling out Dak Prescott and
Ezekiel Elliott. "They're both good, Pro Bowl football players,
along with their cast there ... and their coordinator (Kellen
Moore) and head coach (Mike McCarthy) are real good offensive
minds."
While recognizing Mahomes' ability to extend plays, McCarthy
didn't mind pointing out the explosive potential of the matchup
by noting "we're not a dink-and-dunk offense."
Not with Prescott connecting on 70.3 percent of his attempts to
an array of talented receivers led by CeeDee Lamb with a
15.4-yard average per catch. The Cowboys are coming off their
first 40-point win since 2000, a 43-3 rout of the Atlanta
Falcons.
Dallas' Trevon Diggs has been tremendous in coverage, leading
the league with eight interceptions, including two touchdowns.
The Chiefs have committed 20 turnovers -- the second-highest
total in the league -- with Mahomes having thrown 10
interceptions.
"This is an important game," McCarthy said. "It's about getting
a road win. I think we know where we are. And I know where they
want to go, so you're going to see a clash of two really good
football teams."
Cowboys All-Pro blocker Tyron Smith (ankle) returned to practice
this week, but he remains questionable.
Lucas Niang (ribs) remains out for Kansas City. The Chiefs will
continue to monitor the progress of Clyde Edwards-Helaire
(knee), who returned to practice last week.
--Field Level Media
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
