The New York Jets Match Up Perfectly With The Kansas City Chiefs

When breaking down the matchups, it becomes quite clear that the New York Jets matchup very well with the Kansas City Chiefs.

• New York Jets (1-1)
• Kansas City Chiefs (1-1)
• NFL, Week 3, Sunday, 4:25 PM on CBS
• Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

This is a squad who won their last 10 games a season ago en route to finishing an extremely solid 11-5, one game behind the division champion Denver Broncos. They then routed the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round and came up seven points shy of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots the week after.

They’re so legit that we took them to represent the AFC in this upcoming Super Bowl.

Now that the painful truth is out of the way, we dive into the good stuff. The stuff that’ll have every fan of the New York Jets smiling from ear-to-ear in anticipation for late Sunday afternoon.

Despite how great a team K.C. is, they’re a perfect matchup for these Jets.

Join us as we navigate through the reasoning behind this matchup edge:

Alex Smith Doesn’t Challenge Defenses

This one is the biggest factor heading into Sunday’s game.

No team in the league has looked worse when it comes to defending the deep ball. In Week 1, Andy Dalton overcame a rough start to find A.J. Green for 180 yards including a deep post that torched the Jets cover 3 defense.

A week later, it was the deep pass that allowed Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills to stay in the game all night.

It’s the one obvious area of concern for New York after two weeks of play.

Fortunately, they’re facing a quarterback, in Alex Smith, who rarely challenges the defense deep. For K.C., this is the one issue that has plagued the franchise the last couple years. While Smith is efficient as a game manager, he’s so safe that it hurts the offense in taking big chunks of yardage when the opportunity presents itself.

In 2015, Smith only attempted 58 passes 31 yards and over. He only attempted 124 passes in the 21-30 yard range. Everything with the Chiefs offense is dink and dunk, looking for the underneath coverage first.

This plays right into the hands of the Jets and their struggles right now. The Jets currently rank 27th in the NFL in total pass yards against.

Fitzpatrick’s Quick Decisions Against That Pass Rush

The Chiefs are loaded up front. Unlike the Jets, however, most of their talent is loaded on the edge through the likes of Tamba Hali and Dee Ford.

While this matchup is one New York will have to keep an eye on, it’s quite obvious, already, that Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick will simply take what the defense gives them.

For example, in Week 2 against a stubborn Rex Ryan, who continued to bring numbers at the QB, Fitz kept chucking the ball deep. It got to the point that it became comical. Ryan would put unneeded pressure on his corners in one-on-one and Fitzpatrick would continue to highlight those matchups.

Against the Chiefs, Fitz will begin underneath in effort to neutralize Hali, Ford, and even Dontari Poe up the middle.

Fitz’s ability to adapt will go a long way against a very talented K.C. defense. Eric Berry‘s placement on the field will go a long way in determining the strategy of the Jets offense.

Chiefs Have No Legit Speed Burners Out Wide

In conjunction with Alex Smith’s lack of aggressiveness through the air, the Chiefs aren’t blessed with any stud speed burners out wide.

Yes, there is Jeremy Maclin, a guy who’s proved to be a bonafide starting wideout in the league. But after Maclin, there is a mish mosh of talent without any true star power.

Hybrid De’Anthony Thomas is a threat and No. 2 option, rookie Chris Conley is blazing fast, but unproven. Overall, though, this is an area that Darrelle Revis with his declining top speed can feel very comfortable with. Don’t be surprised if Revis is matched up with Maclin everywhere he goes and a safety is always keeping an eye on Conley deep.

Tight end Travis Kelce is the real No. 1 option in the passing game. Calvin Pryor, Marcus Gilchrist and rookie Darron Lee should all enjoy active games up the middle and underneath. Moreover, without Jamaal Charles, there is even less speed on the field for K.C.

K.C.’s Run Defense Is Struggling

Through two games, the Chiefs have relented a total of 252 yards on the ground, good enough for 30th in the league.

The Jets have rushed for 275 yards (4.2 YPC), good enough for sixth in the NFL.

This surprising output through two games has this ground game matchup surprisingly in the hands of New York. Matt Forte has looked legit and the offensive line has been stable in every way. Making up for the loss of James Carpenter at left guard will be a concern, but, overall, using Forte and throwing Bilal Powell into the mix will only neutralize that K.C. pass rush even more.

Final Thoughts, Prediction

Most thought the Jets offensive line and edge rush on defense would be the two areas of concern heading into the season. Instead, it has turned out to be the big play on defense.

It’s the one critical area of concern yet they get ready to take on a team who doesn’t attack deep unless it’s overly invited.

I’m not concerned with the Jets offense going up against the Chiefs D. Sure, the noise in Arrowhead will be an issue. There’s no question about that. But Fitz’s smarts coupled with a surprisingly strong run game can slowly neutralize that early on.

The way the Chiefs play is exactly what Todd Bowles likes to take on. It’s a methodical, slower type offense/strategy that allows him to keep up his aggressive/attacking nature.

As long as Alex Smith doesn’t suddenly find his long ball attack, the Jets will win a close one.

Final Score: New York Jets 24, Kansas City Chiefs 17