Welcome to New York: KC Chiefs Need to Keep Guard Up Against Jets in Week 4
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a 41-10 win over the Chicago Bears. It was a game the Chiefs were expected to win by a large margin, and they delivered in a big way. Yes, the Bears have been a disaster on and off the field so far but Kansas City still needed to go out there, bring its A-game and show a dominant effort. That’s exactly what the team did.
Now the Chiefs will travel to New York to take on the Jets, another team that is dealing with great adversity early on. In the offseason, the Jets added All-Pro and future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers via trade. The team was featured in HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series, and there was a lot of hype surrounding what this squad could potentially be.
The air was let out of the balloon on their fourth offensive snap of the season when Rodgers went down with an Achilles tear. The Jets then turned to former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson to quarterback their squad. Wilson has been underwhelming to this point in his career and has not shown much improvement through three games this year. There are rumblings that there may be a locker room divided when it comes to offense versus defense and how much one is carrying the load over the other, which is more drama for a Chiefs opponent.
This is where the Chiefs need to be on guard. Last week, Kansas City saw a team on the ropes and threw the knockout punch. This week could be a similar situation, and the visitors can’t get complacent. We saw it happen last year when the team went on the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts early in the season in 2022. The Chiefs made too many mental mistakes and lost a game they should have won. The Jets don’t want their season to spiral out of control, and knocking off the Chiefs with the whole world watching on Sunday Night Football would be a good turning point.
Sep 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) talks with defensive end Mike Danna (51) during the second half against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs' defense needs to continue to do what they have done to this point in the season. They have played like a top five defense in the NFL and going against a struggling Jets offense should only help the confidence of this group. If they can stop New York on the ground, keeping their running back trio in check, this should lead to a long day for Wilson as the defense can sit back and wait for him to make a mistake (as he’s been known to do).
The Jets' defense is a solid unit. They have what it takes to slow the Chiefs down some, but if they are on the field for a long time, they will wear down eventually. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes showing his ability to spread the ball around, this will be an advantage for the Chiefs as well. Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner won’t be able to shadow one player and be totally effective. Travis Kelce, as always, will be the X-factor for this offense. Kelce seems to always find the space in the zone defense to sit and catch passes from Mahomes and they continue to be one of the top duos in the league.
While the game will be won or lost on the gridiron, there will continue to be plenty of discussion about what is happening off it. Taylor Swift is rumored to be making another appearance to support Kelce. It’s also been rumored that Swift and Brittany Mahomes became fast friends after the game last week and could watch the game together. Yes, the game is what matters to the team and fans the most, but this is an intriguing side story that is not going away.
While the Jets are having issues that could break up the locker room, the Chiefs have a fun off-the-field storyline that has captured the hearts of America. Let’s be clear: the players aren’t focusing on Kelce and his blossoming love life. This will not be a distraction to the team, but it is something that will be talked about throughout the game and in between outings as things continue to unfold on that front.
The Chiefs should roll to another big win on Sunday night against the Jets. No matter what the final score is, a win is all that matters, even if this could turn into back-to-back blowout wins for Kansas City. A 3-1 start through the first quarter of the season would be a good way to kick off the club's updated run-it-back campaign.
