Chiefs-Saints 5 Preview: Can Derek Carr make new history at Arrowhead?

The Kansas City Chiefs face the New Orleans Saints on Monday evening. We welcome Nick Jennings from Chronicles of Canal Street – our SBNation sister site covering the saints – for Five questions for the enemy.

1) The Saints have come back down to earth over the past two weeks after a shocking Week 2 setback in Dallas left them with a 2-0 record. Why couldn't they build on their hot start?

New Orleans struggled to cope with the loss of C Erik McCoy, who was placed on IR with a groin injury that required surgery after missing just three snaps in the Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Along with RG Cesar Ruiz, who missed the last game with a knee injury, the Saints offensive line also took a hit. Everything runs through McCoy, and without him recognizing things beforehand, it was a challenge for Derek Carr and the offense. They struggled to stay on the field, causing the defense to tire quickly, and the final two plays rested on their shoulders for a final stop.

OG Shane Lemieux filled in for McCoy under center against Atlanta, and it wasn't great. Without Ruiz, the right side of the line hasn't held up, led by RT Trevor Penning, who still has yet to find his footing in the NFL. They insisted on running the ball that side against the Falcons, and as you can imagine, that didn't work out so well. As RB Alvin Kamara and the Saints' running game alongside stud rookie LT Taliese Fuaga and veteran LG Lucas Patrick, who found early success during his time in New Orleans, achieved most of their success.

Taysom Hill, who has proven to be a key part of this offense, suffered a bruised lung and broken ribs in the last three weeks. Saints HC Dennis Allen mentioned that he wasn't sure if Hill would end up on the IR, making this a significant development for the offense worth watching. On offense, there were 18 attacks (excluding kneeling) with Taysom and 18 without. In the 18 drives with him, they scored 11 TDs and 4 FGs. Without him they only managed 2 TDs and 4 FGs. Because of Hill's early exit on Sunday, Kamara had 26 of the Saints' 61 touches in Atlanta (42.6%), and he has had 55 touches in the last two games, unsustainable for a 17-game season. He is currently battling a hip problem and a broken rib, but had limited training on Thursday. Fortunately, RB Kendre Miller could potentially return from IR to MNF in KC, which would ease some of the pressure on Kamara, who leads the league in scrimmage yards (536) and is tied for the league lead with 6 touchdowns.

2) Since Steve Spagnuolo became the Chiefs' defensive coordinator in 2019, Derek Carr is 1-6 against Kansas City (and has been sacked 14 times). How do you think Carr will perform against a very well-known defensive player? What can the Saints do to take advantage of Carr's strengths?

Carr's 3-14 record against Kansas City is certainly not encouraging with a primetime matchup in Arrowhead on the horizon. However, I believe that if the Saints can establish a running game early, it can take some of the pressure off Carr and open up the passing game. One of Carr's strengths is his ability to stretch the field, and an effective ground game combined with OC Klint Kubiak's use of play-action and pre-snap movement typically sets up those deep shots for WRs Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. That was the Saints' be-all and end-all in the first two weeks of the season.

Fun fact: Derek Carr needed just 76 passing yards on Monday night to reach 40,000 career passing yards, which has only been done 24 times in NFL history.

3) Safety Tyrann Mathieu was very popular during his tenure in Kansas City. Now in his hometown's third season, what does the Super Bowl LIV winner mean for the Saints?

Tyrann Mathieu has meant everything and more to the city of New Orleans and its Saints since joining the team in 2022. The Honey Badger has recorded 182 total tackles (129 solo), 1 sack, 2 FF, 2 FR, 9 INTs and 1 TD in 38 games with the Black and Gold. He didn't miss a single game. This season he battled various injuries but appeared in all four games, totaling 15 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 FF, 1 FR and 2 INTs.

He was named the New Orleans Saints' 2023 Man of the Year for his work with the Son of a Saint organization, among other things, and has regularly spent his free time helping those in need in his community. His love for the state of Louisiana and his passion for the game of football gave the Saints the momentum they needed in a time of need.

4) Since these two teams rarely play each other, the question becomes, who is an underrated Saint on offense and defense that you think more people should know about?

On offense, I'm still patiently waiting for Yale UDFA WR Mason Tipton to break through. He was a star at the start of training camp before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the entire preseason. Despite this setback, Tipton made the Saints' 53-man roster because the coaching staff clearly values ​​the speedster (4.33-second 40-yard dash), who has proven to be a constant big-game threat in practice . He currently ranks third in team receptions among WRs (4), behind Shaheed (15) and Olave (20). Meanwhile, no one has come forward to claim the open WR3 role, so Tipton is someone to keep an eye on.

On defense, I firmly believe that DE Carl Granderson continues to be criminally underrated. Among current league ranks, he ranks 3rd in pressures (22), 5th in pass rush win rate (22.3%), 6th in sacks (4), 2nd in FFs (1) and 8th among edge rushers with an overall PFF grade of 88.0 (min. 100 snaps) and tenth with a pass-rush grade of 82.8 (min. 100 snaps). Place among the edge defenders. He has improved every year and has become an absolute force in his sixth NFL season. Dennis Allen noted that we should expect to see more of the Carl Granderson-Chase Young duo, especially since Cameron Jordan appears to have taken a big step back in his performance in '14. I expect Granderson to show the intensity against Kansas City and continue his strong start to the season.

5) What is the game-winning plan for the Saints on Monday? Predicting how this will develop?

For New Orleans to secure a primetime victory, the offense must establish play early and ideally open the game with a score. The defense will have to contain QB Patrick Mahomes and do its best to limit TE Travis Kelce's impact on the game, although none of these tasks will be a walk in the park. Eagles TE Dallas Goedert had 170 yards and 10 receptions, including the game-winning 61-yard reception, in Week 3 against the Saints. Dennis Allen's defense had its problems with mobile quarterbacks and pass-catching tight ends.

That being said, I expect New Orleans to come into this matchup with a winning mentality and a sense of urgency. My prediction is that they will hand the reigning Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season 21:17, with the winning goal only coming in the last two minutes. Demario Davis also appears to be eyeing a return to the field after missing last week's game in Atlanta, which would provide a significant boost to the Saints' defense.

Be sure to check out the answers I provided to their questions by clicking Here.