***Chiefs vs Redskins Official Game Day Thread***

[TopekaRoy]

Indians on the War Path!

[TopekaRoy]

The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)



vs.

The Washington Redskins (2-1)



Monday, October 2, 7:30pm CT
at
Terrorhead Stadium
Kansas City, Missouri




Television coverage:
ESPN


Radio Coverage:
Kansas City


Lawrence/Topeka:


Manhattan, KS:


St. Louis


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[TopekaRoy]

Stats & Stuff

Weather forecast: 80 degrees farenheit. Clear. 13 mph SSE winds.

Line: Chiefs -7, Over/Under: 49.5

Against the Spread:
Record ATS 4-17.png

Last 5 Games Head-2-Head:
last 5 h2h week 4-17.png

OddsShark Super Computer Prediction:
Chiefs 27.6
Redskins 14.5

Schedules/Results:

Thursday Sep. 7 at New England Patriots 8:30pm ET NBC Won 42-27 Sunday Sep. 17 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00pm ET FOX Won 27-20 Sunday Sep. 24 at Los Angeles Chargers 4:25pm ET CBS Won 24-10 Monday Oct. 2 Washington Redskins 8:30pm ET ESPN Buy Tickets Sunday Oct. 8 at Houston Texans 8:30pm ET NBC Buy Tickets Sunday Oct. 15 Pittsburgh Steelers 4:25pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Thursday Oct. 19 at Oakland Raiders 8:25pm ET CBS/NFLN Buy Tickets Monday Oct. 30 Denver Broncos 8:30pm ET ESPN Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 5 at Dallas Cowboys 4:25pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 12 BYE Sunday Nov. 19 at New York Giants 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 26 Buffalo Bills 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 3 at New York Jets 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 10 Oakland Raiders 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Saturday Dec. 16 Los Angeles Chargers 8:25pm ET NFLN Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 24 Miami Dolphins 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 31 at Denver Broncos 4:25pm ET CBS Buy Tickets

Sunday Sep. 10 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00pm ET FOX Lost 30-17 Sunday Sep. 17 at Los Angeles Rams 4:25pm ET FOX Won 27-20 Sunday Sep. 24 Oakland Raiders 8:30pm ET NBC Won 27-10 Monday Oct. 2 at Kansas City Chiefs 8:30pm ET ESPN Buy Tickets Sunday Oct. 8 BYE Sunday Oct. 15 San Francisco 49ers 1:00pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Monday Oct. 23 at Philadelphia Eagles 8:30pm ET ESPN Buy Tickets Sunday Oct. 29 Dallas Cowboys 4:25pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 5 at Seattle Seahawks 4:05pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 12 Minnesota Vikings 1:00pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Sunday Nov. 19 at New Orleans Saints 1:00pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Thursday Nov. 23 New York Giants 8:30pm ET NBC Buy Tickets Thursday Nov. 30 at Dallas Cowboys 8:25pm ET NBC/NFLN Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 10 at Los Angeles Chargers 4:05pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 17 Arizona Cardinals 1:00pm ET FOX Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 24 Denver Broncos 1:00pm ET CBS Buy Tickets Sunday Dec. 31 at New York Giants 1:00pm ET FOX Buy Tickets

Notable Quotables:
Chiefs:

"We’ve got to do a better job up front. There are some plays that we’d like to have back there but we’re capable of doing it, we just need to make sure we do it.”

--Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid

Redskins:

“There’s no moral victories or losses in this game. It’s either you win or you lose. No matter what your record says you are, in that given moment, given day, anybody can get beat any Sunday. We’ve got to go out there, put out our best effort.”

--Redskins Cornerback Josh Norman

[TopekaRoy]

Injury Report:

Donald Ford	LB	Back	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Mitchell Morse	C	Foot	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Eric Fisher	T	Back	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
Kevin Pierre-Louis	LB	Groin	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable

Attauyo Nsekhe	T	Core Muscle	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Dayario Swearinger	S	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
William Compton	LB	Ankle	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Jamison Crowder	WR	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Mason Foster	LB	Shoulder	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Robert Kelley	RB	Rib	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Jordan Reed	TE	Rib	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable

[TopekaRoy]

Depth Charts:

Chiefs

OFFENSE
POSITION	STARTER	2nd	3rd	4th
WR	Tyreek Hill	De'Anthony Thomas	Demarcus Robinson
TE	Travis Kelce	Demetrius Harris	Ross Travis
LT	Eric Fisher Questionable	Mitchell Schwartz
LG	Bryan Witzmann	Zach Fulton
C	Mitch Morse Out	Zach Fulton
RG	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	Jordan Devey
RT	Mitchell Schwartz	Cameron Erving
WR	Chris Conley	Albert Wilson	Jehu Chesson
QB	Alex Smith	Patrick Mahomes II	Tyler Bray
FB	Anthony Sherman
RB	Kareem Hunt	Charcandrick West

BASE 3-4 DEFENSE
POSITION	STARTER	2nd	3rd	4th
LDE	Allen Bailey	Jarvis Jenkins
NT	Bennie Logan	Roy Miller
RDE	Chris Jones	Rakeem Nunez-Roches
LOLB	Justin Houston	Tanoh Kpassagnon
LILB	Derrick Johnson	Kevin Pierre-Louis Questionable	Terrance Smith
RILB	Ramik Wilson	Reggie Ragland	Ukeme Eligwe
ROLB	Dee Ford Questionable	Frank Zombo
CB	Phillip Gaines	Terrance Mitchell	Kenneth Acker
SS	Ron Parker	Daniel Sorensen
FS	Eric Berry	Eric Murray
CB	Marcus Peters	D.J. White

Redskins

OFFENSE
POSITION	STARTER	2nd	3rd	4th
WR	Terrelle Pryor Sr.	Brian Quick
WR	Ryan Grant	Josh Doctson
LT	Trent Williams	Ty Nsekhe Out
LG	Shawn Lauvao	Tyler Catalina
C	Spencer Long	Chase Roullier
RG	Brandon Scherff	Chris Carter
RT	Morgan Moses	T.J. Clemmings
WR	Jamison Crowder Questionable	Kevin Bowen
QB	Kirk Cousins	Colt McCoy
TE	Jordan Reed Questionable	Vernon Davis	Niles Paul
RB	Rob Kelley Questionable	Chris Thompson	Samaje Perine

BASE 3-4 DEFENSE
POSITION	STARTER	2nd	3rd	4th
LDE	Stacy McGee	Matt Ioannidis
NT	Ziggy Hood	Stacy McGee
RDE	Jonathan Allen Questionable	Terrell McClain	Anthony Lanier II
LOLB	Ryan Kerrigan	Ryan Anderson	Chris Carter
LILB	Zach Brown	Martrell Spaight	Josh Harvey-Clemons
RILB	Mason Foster Questionable	Will Compton
ROLB	Preston Smith	Junior Galette
CB	Bashaud Breeland	Quinton Dunbar	Fabian Moreau
SS	Montae Nicholson	Deshazor Everett
FS	D.J. Swearinger Questionable	Stefan McClure
CB	Josh Norman	Kendall Fuller	Joshua Holsey

[TopekaRoy]

More Stats & More Stuff:

Team Leaders:
Chiefs Stats Leaders Week 4-17.jpg
Redskins Stats leaders 4-17.jpg

Matchup:
Matchup Week 4-17.jpg

Expert's Picks:
Expert Picks Week 4-17.jpg

Prisco's Pick:

The Chiefs are riding high as one of the two remaining undefeated teams, while Washington was im- pressive beating Oakland Sunday night. This will be a real challenge for the Redskins going to Arrowhead and I think the Chiefs defense will get the best of Kirk Cousins. Chiefs stay undefeated.

Chiefs 26 Redskins 17

[TopekaRoy]

Chiefs vs. Redskins: Five Things to Watch
From Chiefs.com

Posted Oct 1, 2017

BJ Kissel Chiefs Reporter Chiefs.com Email @ChiefsReporter

Here are a few storylines to keep in mind for Monday night

The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) head into Monday night’s game against the Washington Redskins (2-1) with an 8-1 all-time record against them, including having won six straight.

Their only loss was a matchup back on September 18, 1983, when the Redskins were led by quarterback Joe Theismann, running back John Riggins, and rookie cornerback Darrell Green, who nabbed the first interception of his Hall of Fame career off Chiefs’ quarterback Bill Kenney in that game.

This game Monday night will mark the second week in a row that the Redskins will be playing on national television. Last Sunday night, they had an impressive 27-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

The Chiefs, who beat the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football to open up the season, will be playing on national television in four of their next five games.

“I think it’s a compliment to the organization,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier this week. “It’s quite an honor to be picked for a Monday night game. So, you kind of earn that respect, both us and Washington to have that chance and you’re playing against a team that’s playing really good football. They’re coming off a big win, they’re well-coached. I think the fans are going to love this, they’re going to fill up Arrowhead.

“It’s one of those nights where it’s going to be a great football game and it’s going to be electric. That’s what this league is all about.”

Reid, who spent 14 years in the NFC East playing the Redskins when he was leading the Eagles, has an 18-11 all-time record against them. Although this won’t be Reid’s first time facing the Redskins with the Chiefs.

These two teams met back in 2013 during Reid’s first year in Kansas City, and the Chiefs went on the road and won in decisive fashion, 45-10. That 35-point victory is still tied for the largest victory during Reid’s time with the Chiefs.

The Redskins have gone through a lot of changes since then, most notably, bringing in their current head coach—Jay Gruden, who has put together back-to-back winning seasons after taking over a 3-13 team following the 2013 season.

On Monday night, Reid is looking to improve to 4-0 this year and go a perfect 6-0 against the NFC East during his time with the Chiefs.

Here are five things to watch:

1. It’s strength vs. strength

This is the matchup to watch—the league’s No. 1 rushing offense against the league’s No. 2 run defense.

The Chiefs, who are led on the ground by rookie third-round pick Kareem Hunt—the reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Month and who leads the league in rushing, paces a Chiefs’ rushing attack that’s averaging 162 yards per game.

On the flip side, the Redskins defense, which is led by linebacker Zach Brown, edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan, cornerback Josh Norman and safety D.J. Swearinger, has allowed just 62.3 yards rushing per game through the first three games.

“They’re a very talented team,” Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said of Redskins’ defensive performance against a prominent Raiders’ offense last week. “They played fast and they played a great offense and did well against them in front of everybody. You look at a team that is as balanced as they are for us the last three weeks we’ve seen some pretty aggressive defensive lines and linebackers, so we have been tested.

“But you watch these guys on tape and they play fast, they play hard and they don’t give you much time.”

Over the first three games, the Chiefs have been particularly good on first down—averaging a league-best 9.58 yards per play.

Much of that can be attributed to the play of Hunt, who is averaging 9.6 yards per touch right now, and last week against the Chargers, he became the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown of 50-plus yards in the first three games of his career.

2. Can the Chiefs’ pass defense keep it going?

Last week against the Chargers, the Chiefs’ pass defense, which has been among the best in the league since defensive coordinator Bob Sutton arrived in Kansas City prior to the 2013 season, stepped up and made the plays that made the difference in the game.

The Chiefs picked off Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers three times in that game, including a pair by cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who continues to be challenged with plenty of targets with All-Pro Marcus Peters on the other side.

Although Peters was able to snag his NFL-leading 15th interception since the start of the 2015 season in that game as well.

This group will be challenged again this week as Redskins’ quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose wife just had a baby on Friday night, comes into this game with some impressive statistics so far this year.

He has completed 68 percent of his passes for 784 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception.

“When you have a guy like that it gives you a chance, every single week,” Sutton said of Cousins. “I think he’s surrounded by some good football players. They’ve got really great balance in their offense in the running game, I think they have 97 passes and 90 runs for the year. That’s about as balanced as you’re going to see in the NFL.

“Their team is playing really well on offense and going to be a great challenge for us.”

The Chiefs’ pass defense will be a challenge for them too.

Since 2013, the Chiefs’ defense leads the league in quarterback completion percentage against, allowing just 57 percent of passes to be completed against them.

3. Will the Chiefs keep getting pressure?

Like most quarterbacks, Cousins’ numbers aren’t as good when he’s under pressure.

According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins is just 14 of 27 (52 percent) for 144 yards (5.3 ypa) with one touchdown and one interception when under pressure.

That’s significant.

In comparison, Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith is 12 of 17 (70.6 percent) for 174 yards (10.2 ypa) with one touchdown and no interceptions when under pressure.

And through three games, the Chiefs’ defense has had some success getting after opposing quarterbacks. Linebacker Justin Houston leads the Chiefs with four sacks, second-year defensive lineman Chris Jones has three, and veteran defensive lineman Allen Bailey, who they call “The Hulk,” leads everyone with seven quarterback hurries.

It won’t be easy to get pressure on the Redskins, particularly coming off the left side, as they have one of the best left tackles in all of football in Trent Williams.

“(Trent Williams) is a great football player,” Sutton explained. “Gives up very few pressures. A really, really good football player. Playing at a high level. I think their line really plays well together. They function well. They don’t have a lot of mistakes, they don’t cut many guys loose. They help each other in the passing game and the running game, they’re a real physical group of guys.

They can set the tone of the game, if you will, by the way they play. That’s why that word challenge is going to keep coming up because we’re kind of challenged at all levels in this game.”

It’s also worth noting that when blitzed, which the Chiefs have done fewer times than anyone else in the league so far this year, Cousins’ completion percentage is eight points lower than when he’s not blitzed (62.1 to 70.6).

4. Will they continue their streak of long touchdown plays?

The Chiefs set an NFL record last week by scoring a touchdown of at least 50 yards in nine consecutive games.

It’s an incredible stat, particularly for a team that’s been questioned by some as not being explosive enough.

Unsurprisingly, Tyreek Hill has been involved in many of those plays, while Hunt has gotten in the mix this year as well. Tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Albert Wilson also have plays that chipped in to help with that record.

Reid was asked about that statistic earlier this week.

“Everybody gets credit for it,” he said. “Whether it’s [Nagy] with the plays, whether it’s the offensive line blocking or whatever receiver it is—the quarterback. Everybody’s got a piece of making it work.

“But you’re only as good as your last one.”

The Redskins have given up just one touchdown play of 50-plus yards so far this season, and it came against the Eagles and quarterback Carson Wentz, who scrambled around and found receiver Nelson Agholor open down the field for a 58-yard hookup.

Overall, the Chiefs’ offense ranks third in the NFL right now by averaging 397.3 yards per game, which only trails the New England Patriots (440.7) and Minnesota Vikings (400.3).

5. Will we see some new faces out there this week?

On Saturday during his final press conference of the week, Reid mentioned that outside linebacker Dee Ford and center Mitch Morse will not play Monday night

Ford has been dealing with a back issue and didn’t practice all week, and Morse has been out the last couple of weeks with a foot injury.

In Ford’s place, the assumption would be veteran Frank Zombo would continue to play at that spot opposite of Justin Houston.

“You have trust that he’s going to go in and do the right things,” Reid said of Zombo last week after the Chargers’ game. “Are there a couple plays he’d like to have back? Yes, but he came in and everybody has full trust in him.”

There’s plenty of reason to believe the next guy up would be rookie second-round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon, who was a standout during offseason workouts and training camp and is the only other outside linebacker currently active on the roster. He has played just two defensive snaps so far this season.

With starting left tackle Eric Fisher, who didn’t practice Friday or Saturday with a back issue, being given the “questionable” tag for Monday’s game, the question becomes who’s the next man up at left tackle. A lot of signs point to the recently-acquired Cam Erving, whom the Chiefs traded for from the Cleveland Browns at the end of the preseason.

At the time, Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach said they see Erving as a swing tackle, and there may be a spot available if Fisher can’t play. In the past, right tackle Mitch Schwartz has also slid over and taken some reps over there, so it looks like it’ll be a game-time decision.

Along with Erving, the other guy the Chiefs acquired during the preseason was linebacker Reggie Ragland, who was active last week against the Chargers for the first time all season but didn’t see the field.

Earlier this week, Sutton spoke about Ragland’s development.

“I think he’s really progressed,” Sutton said. “It’s hard to make those determinations because, one, there’s not a lot of reps in practice to do that on, and two, from our standpoint we haven’t seen him yet in a live scrimmage, a live preseason game, or a live game, but I think he’s made a lot of progress and getting to that position where he can contribute.”

Sutton went on to say that Ragland has spent a lot of extra time with the Chiefs’ coaching staff to get up to speed on this defense—adding that he’s picked things up and quick and is a “very intelligent player.”

Ragland, whose locker is right next to veteran Derrick Johnson’s, spoke about what he’s learned from the franchise’s all-time leading tackler.

“Just how he carries himself and how he handles himself,” Ragland said. “He’s a pro and an All-Pro for a reason, and he has had the type of career he’s had for a reason.”



Ragland even joked that he’s always watching Johnson.

“Everything he does—he doesn’t know, but I watch him, like real close, not like stalking or anything, just to see how he carries him and how everyone reacts to him. He’s the guy out there.”

Since arriving in Kansas City, Ragland’s days have been long and consisted of arriving at the facility at 7am for rehab and treatment of his knee, which he injured during training camp with the Buffalo Bills and which forced him to miss all of his rookie year last year, and staying for extra meetings until around 6pm.

“It’s been intense, but they’re just trying to get me up to speed and it’s been working,” Ragland added.

Considering he hasn’t played in a real game since he won a national championship with Alabama in January of 2016—just a month after winning the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year award, Ragland spoke about how comfortable he is at this point to step in and contribute if his name was to be called.

“I’ll be fully ready, but right now, there’s just been a lot of intense meeting sessions with (assistant linebackers coach) Mark DeLeone—he’s been helping me out a lot. (Rookie linebacker) Ukeme Eligwe and [Johnson] have been helping me out a lot, too.

“When my time is called, I’ll be ready.”

[TopekaRoy]

Game Preview from ESPN.com

Redskins brace for Hunt, Chiefs on Monday night

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs are set to return to "Monday Night Football" for the first time in three seasons.

And this time, coach Andy Reid brings a 3-0 football team with an a big-play offense to go along with his opportunistic defense as the Washington Redskins visit Arrowhead Stadium.

Washington coach Jay Gruden said he sees plenty to worry about in the red-hot Kansas City offense with Kareem Hunt setting league records for rookie running backs.

"He's a danger out of the backfield," Gruden said. "He's definitely one of the guys that you have to have circled when you're going into the game along with a couple of other key weapons like (tight end Travis) Kelce and the rest of the guys."

The Chiefs have scored touchdowns of 50 or more yards in an NFL-record nine consecutive games. Hunt, who leads the league with 401 rushing yards and six touchdowns, owns three 50-yard-plus touchdowns, one in each of his first three NFL games.

Gruden praised Hunt's ability to break arm tackles.

"You just never know with a young back like that what type of vision, what type of contact balance he'd have until they get in the game and you give them the ball," Gruden said. "He's taken advantage of the opportunity in a big way not only from getting handoffs but obviously catching passes. ...

"Some guys seem to go down with ease, and some guys run through tackles, and he's obviously proven to be one of those guys. But you also have to have great vision and patience, have the right tracks and make the right cuts. You usually don't expect that for such a guy, for a rookie like that to come in here and do what he's doing."

On defense, the Chiefs thrive on creating turnovers with pressure on the cornerback and aggressive pass defense in the secondary.

"I call them a nuisance defense," Gruden said. "They're all over the place. They're bump-and-run, man-to-man, they're playing a lot, they're disrupting routes and they're giving their pressure time to get there."

Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters owns 15 interceptions since his rookie season in 2015, more than any other player in the league in that span. Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins understands the risks he takes throwing toward the side of the field patrolled by Peters.

"He's certainly one of those corners, there's a few in the league, that you are aware of, you know where they are, you know where they line up and you respect them and don't take that lightly as you make your decisions as to where to go with the football and how to read the defense," Cousins said.

The Redskins (2-1) come to Kansas City fresh from a 27-10 home victory over the Oakland Raiders. The Washington defense held the Raiders to 128 total yards, including 32 on the ground. Reid enjoys big matchups in prime time, and the Washington game marks the first of four night games for Kansas City over the next five weeks.

"I think it's a compliment to the organization and the city," Reid said. "That's quite an honor to be able to be picked for a Monday night game.

"You kind of earn that respect, both us and Washington, to have that chance, and you're playing against a team that's playing really good football right now. They're coming off a big win, and they're well coached."

The game marks the return of "Monday Night Football" to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since the fourth week of the 2014 season.

That night proved memorable for Chiefs fans, with Kansas City dominating the New England Patriots 41-14. The home crowd set a Guinness World Record for loudest crowd noise at an outdoor stadium with a peak decibel reading of 142.2.

Gruden said he believes home-field crowd noise provides the biggest advantage in sports.

"Football, with what you have to do at the line of scrimmage with the quarterback, makes it a huge, huge advantage for the home team," Gruden said. "They have as good as an advantage as anybody, them and Seattle and I like to think us, but it's a great place to play."

Reid certainly hopes the home crowd provides his team the edge.

"I think the fans are going to love this, and they're going to fill up Arrowhead and it'll be just one of those nights where it'll be a great football game and be electric with the fans," Reid said. "That's what this league's all about."

[TopekaRoy]

Chiefs-Washington scouting report, key players to watch, and a prediction
From The Kansas City Star

Red Zone The Chiefs and NFL by beat writer Terez Paylor

OCTOBER 01, 2017 5:25 PM

The scheme

Washington’s coach: Jay Gruden (23-27-1) is in his fourth year on the job. The 50-year-old Gruden is a former Arena League quarterback and is known as an offensive-minded coach. He has appeared to do a nice job handling the circus that comes with being Washington’s head coach.

Offense: Matt Cavanaugh, 60, is in his first year as Washington’s offense coordinator. He was promoted in January after his predecessor, Sean McVay, was hired to lead the Rams. Cavanaugh was Washington’s quarterback coach the last two seasons, helping engineer Kirk Cousins’ breakout campaigns. Washington ranks 12th in passing offense (237.3 yards per game) and sixth in rushing offense (136.3). Washington has been balanced this year, passing at a 53 percent clip.

Defense: Greg Manusky, 51, is in his first year as Washington’s defensive coordinator. He was promoted to the position in January after Joe Barry, his predecessor, was dismissed along with two other members of the defensive staff following a disappointing defensive campaign in 2016. Manusky runs a 3-4 defense that ranked 12th in the league in pass defense (209.7) and sacks (eight) entering Week 4. Washington’s run defense ranks second in the league (62.3).

Special teams: Ben Kotwica is in his fourth season as Washington’s special teams coordinator. Kicker Dustin Hopkins has made five of seven field goals, with both his misses coming from 50-plus yards. Punter Tress Way has dropped seven of 13 punts inside the 20, the fifth most in the league. Washington ranks 24th in kickoff returns (18.6) and 25th in punt returns (4.9). It also ranks ninth in kick return coverage (18.8) and eighth in punt return coverage (4.7).

Four keys to a Chiefs victory

1. Get Kelce involved early

Washington’s defense is tough, so the Chiefs will need all three members of their playmaking triumverate –– tight end Travis Kelce, running back Kareem Hunt and receiver Tyreek Hill –– to be operating at peak efficiency. A good way to make sure that’s the case is to target Kelce early (he was targeted just once last week) and see how Washington is defending him. If he’s attracting a lot of attention, that will open it up for Hill or Hunt. Speaking of Hill...

2. Find Ty and protect Alex

A defense is going to be able to take away Hill and Kelce. It’s not doable. The trick is keeping quarterback Alex Smith upright long enough to connect with Hill on the deep ball. No one on Washington’s defense can run with Hill, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try to hit Smith hard and early in an attempt to discourage the big play to Hill. If Smith gets time –– like he did against New England in Week 1 –– he could find some big plays downfield against this team.

3. Get the play action going

Washington’s defense was terrific last week, holding the Raiders to a miserable 0-for-11 on third down. Washington also boasts the league’s second-best run defense, which means Hunt might not have much space to roam. That means the Chiefs could try some play action to create space for the short-to-intermediate passing game, which is coach Andy Reid’s baby.

4. Win on first and second downs

Gruden is a respected offensive mind, but like so many former quarterbacks, he’s shown a tendency to give up on the running game prematurely when defenses take it away early. If the Chiefs can snuff out the run on first and second downs and force Washington into third-and-longs, it could give them some opportunities to tee off on quarterback Kirk Cousins, a very dangerous player when given time to throw.

Four Washington players to watch

No. 8, QB Kirk Cousins, 29 years old, 6-3, 202, sixth season

Ranked No. 70 on the NFL’s top-100 list for 2017. Has completed 66 of 97 passes for 784 yards, five touchdowns and an interception this season. Completed 67 percent of his passes for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. Proven winner with good pocket presence and command of the huddle. Pocket passer who should be motivated in a contract year. Good decision-maker with accuracy to most parts of the field.

No. 71, LT Trent Williams, 29, 6-5, 320, eighth season

Ranked No. 47 on the NFL’s top 100-list for 2017. Big-bodied blocker with quick feet and impressive power for his size. Has leadership traits. Moves well in space and is effective on screens. Aware in pass protection and has strong hands. Punishes defenders with combination of physicality and nastiness. Elite, blue-chip player at his position.

No. 91, OLB Ryan Kerrigan, 29, 6-4, 259, seventh season

Has eight tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and three quarterback hits. Also has a pass deflection, an interception and a forced fumble. Finished last season with 33 tackles, 11 sacks and 20 quarterback hits in 16 games. High-effort player who plays the run well –– he sets the edge consistently –– and can get after the quarterback, too. Overall strength and technique makes up for lack of elite athleticism. Smart, aware player who isn’t great in space but is terrific overall.

No. 24, CB Josh Norman, 29, 6-0, 200, sixth season

Ranked No. 59 on the NFL’s top-100 list for 2017. Has 12 tackles and three pass deflections this season. Had 67 tackles, 19 pass deflections and three interceptions in 2016. Super-competitive and physical. Doesn’t have elite top-end speed (4.66 40-yard dash as a rookie) but plays the game with his eyes, understands route concepts and boasts good ball skills. Willing, physical tackler who plays his tail off. Plays with swagger and toughness and never backs down from a challenge. Understands the nuances of man and zone coverage and is one of the game’s very best.

Prediction: Chiefs 31-24

Washington presents a dangerous challenge for the Chiefs, who are the league’s last undefeated team. Washington can run the ball and stop the run, which is a pretty good formula for success. Problem for them is, the Chiefs don’t have many weaknesses, and Reid has traditionally dialed up some of his best stuff as the Chiefs’ coach on Monday Night Football. As long as the Chiefs don’t beat themselves, they should be able to push their record to 4-0.

[ctchiefsfan]

BIG BIG GAME! We MUST WIN this one!