Chiefs vs. Panthers: Key stats to watch in Week 12's non-conference showdown

Statistics will not always tell the full story. The NFL is a week-to-week league and can deceive our thoughts at any moment on a given team. But as always, there are some notable trends to monitor going into specific matchups. That is true once again in the case of Sunday's meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers.

Sunday will be the final non-conference game of the regular season for Kansas City. They are 4-0 already against Atlanta, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay combined. On the other hand, the Panthers are still searching for a suitable direction. Carolina does enter Sunday with two straight wins, however. This will also be their final non-conference matchup of the regular season. The Panthers are 1-3 against the AFC so far, with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

What are some interesting statistical notes to monitor entering Chiefs vs. Panthers? Here are three key stats going into Sunday's affair.

Opponent Passing Yards Per Game

The Chiefs and the Panthers are averaging a similar figure, when it comes to opponent passing yards per game. Kansas City ranks 17th in the league, allowing 212.2 passing yards per contest, via Team Rankings. On the other hand, Carolina is 24th in that category. Team Rankings shows they are allowing an average of 226.8 passing yards per week.

Last week was arguably the worst performance of the season for the Chiefs' secondary. Many Buffalo Bills pass catchers were left wide open. The separation that they were able to create against Kansas City was truly surprising, at least at the rate they were doing it. And even when tough catches had to be made, Buffalo seemingly made them every time. Kansas City will need a better week of communication and body positioning when facing the Panthers.

In Carolina, there are not many items to hang your hat on within the Panthers defense. But if you look at the way they can rally, attack the ball and frustrate receivers from time to time, this secondary has quietly showed up in various moments. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are not afraid to play physically on the outside in the Carolina secondary.

Offensive Turnovers Have Plagued Both Teams

Turnovers are one of the biggest differences of winning and losing in the NFL. But for the Chiefs and the Panthers, neither team has been able to limit the giveaways from their offense. They are not far apart in total giveaways this season. All told, that may be somewhat shocking, given the different win totals each team has amassed.

Nonetheless, the Panthers have 16 offensive giveaways. Carolina is tied for the fourth-highest amount of giveaways, according to The Football Database. The Chiefs are not far behind with 14 offensive giveaways. Kansas City is tied for the fifth-highest amount of giveaways in the NFL.

Obviously, an early turnover hurt the Chiefs and forced them to climb out of a hole. In what is viewed as an easy game on the schedule for Kansas City, Carolina could keep this much closer than the Chiefs want it to be, if the turnovers continue to mount.

Chuba Hubbard Ranks 4th In Rushing

Most casual fans probably would not realize that Chuba Hubbard ranks 4th in the NFL in rushing yards. He is currently sitting at 818 rushing yards on the year, putting well on pace to top 1,000 rushing yards this season. The Panthers do not have many bright spots. But with Hubbard, they rewarded his recent performances with a new contract extension a few weeks ago.

Hubbard is very good at running through tackles and gaining extra yards after contact. His ability to get skinny and work through tight areas is also rather impressive inside of a choppy offense. Overall, Hubbard can be effective both in between the tackles and when running towards the outside.

The Chiefs have been stingy as a run defense all year long, of course. Kansas City enters Sunday ranking 3rd in rushing yards allowed. Most running backs have been swallowed up. Rookie Audric Estime's 53 rushing yards a couple of weeks ago was one of the more effective performances against K.C. so far this season. Getting to 50 rushing yards or more in a single game has been extremely challenging for running backs against the Chiefs. Yet, Hubbard only has one game this season where he did not tally at least 52 rushing yards. Something will have to give in Carolina.