Chiefs vs. Rams: Sammy Watkins can show up his former team in primetime

Many forget that Sammy Watkins played for the Los Angeles Rams just last year. This weekend is as much a revenge game for him as for Marcus Peters.

Last spring, the Kansas City Chiefs brought wide receiver Sammy Watkins in on a $48 million, 3-year contract. At the time, the move was questioned and criticized, but as the Chiefs offense has blossomed to historic levels, those naysayers are losing their steam as the weeks progress.

Watkins, while not necessarily putting up huge numbers, clearly has a presence on the field. The two games that saw Watkins sidelined this year (at the Denver Broncos after tweaking his hamstring and held out last week against the Arizona Cardinals with a foot injury) saw some of the lowest offensive production of the season. Coincidence? Maybe, but I’m not so sure.

Watkins’ presence on the field comes from drawing defenders attention as a legitimate threat. This opens up the run game for Kareem Hunt, allows fellow wideout Tyreek Hill to streak down the field, and freely gives tight end Travis Kelce to chance to cross the middle. Watkins has also shown himself to be a phenomenal blocker, and, when the ball is in his hands, a great runner. It is almost as if he is a running back after he catches the ball. He has a unique speed and ability to run over defenders that makes him a great offseason haul.

Lost in the hype as we approach the Monday night match-up of the year between the Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams is that Watkins is going up against his former team. That’s right. Last year, Watkins was a Ram. He was traded to the Rams on August 17, 2017, from the Buffalo Bills. Watkins’ season stat line was relatively unremarkable with 39 receptions, 593 yards and 8 touchdowns all within 15 games.

We keep going back and forth about how this is a revenge game for Marcus Peters after the trade sent him to the Rams for peanuts, but this is a revenge game for Watkins, too. Watkins has been plagued throughout his career with labels of “injury-prone” and inconsistent production due to not being on the field. This week is a chance for Watkins to prove his worth in primetime. While the eyes of the Rams defense will be on stopping the speedy Tyreek Hill, shutting down the number one tight end in Travis Kelce and stuffing the hurdling Kareem Hunt, Watkins could get lost in the discussion.

I predict a big game from Sammy. He has a chance, on Monday, to show Chiefs Kingdom once again how important he is. He can change a game, as evidenced by his performance against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead. He has quietly become a reliable receiver and there is a noticeable drop off from him to Chris Conley.

So, here’s to Sammy on Monday night. Have yourself a game, and show L.A. how wrong they were for letting you go.