Chiefs’ Defense Vs. Cardinals’ Offense
Now, this is the much more interesting of the two matchups.
Is what I would say if the Cardinals were not also riddled with injuries on this side of the ball as well. DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first third of Arizona’s season after being suspended for alleged PED usage. Rondale Moore has been struggling with an injury the last few weeks, and right when it looked like he may actually make it to Week 1, he tweaked his hamstring during practice and is out officially. That leaves the Cardinals with starting receivers A.J. Green and Marquise Brown.
Normally this just means relying on your tight end, except, nope, Zach Ertz is questionable with a calf injury, being limited on Wednesday and Friday practice and altogether missing Thursday’s practice.
Okay, run the ball, just punch K.C. in the mouth with James Conner, except, no again. Justin Pugh, the Cardinals’ starting right guard, is questionable after being limited all week due to a neck injury. This is a massive problem because the Cardinals’ backup right guard, Cody Ford, is out due to a foot injury. If Pugh has to miss time in this game or miss the game entirely, Arizona will be forced to rearrange their line just to fill the holes, something KC fans should be familiar with the effectiveness of.
Does this mean the Arizona offense will be completely worthless? Of course not. Kyler Murray is very talented, Kliff Kingsbury is a great offensive mind, and James Connor’s reinvented himself in Arizona. However, it takes 11 players to make a great play happen, not two.
This also does not mean that the Chiefs’ defense is phenomenal either. Sure, the Chiefs’ first-team defense did not allow a single point during the preseason, but they are relying on a very weak secondary to carry a heavy load this season. However, with a beat-up offensive line, George Karlaftis and Chris Jones may eat well, taking the weight off that secondary this week.