The Jets (2-6) are traveling to Kansas City for a Week 9 matchup with the Chiefs (5-2) at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. After dropping their last three games, the Green & White look to improve against Chiefs who return home after losing their past two on the road.
"We know exactly who this team is; we know exactly what they're about," HC Aaron Glenn said of the Chiefs on Wednesday. "They've created a sustainable winning situation over there, that's a lot to the credit of the players, the coaching staff and the organization. We look forward to playing against a team like this."
Last week, the Jets' offense clicked with QB Geno Smith completing 5-of-10 passes of 20-plus air yards for 142 yards, the most by any quarterback in Week 8 and the ninth-most in a single game this season. Overall, Smith threw for 290 yards (22 -of -30), 2 TDs and 1 INT. After RB Braelon Allen and WR Adonai Mitchell each recorded more than 100 yards, rushing and receiving respectively, the Jets have now had 6 players reach the century mark in a game, their most since 2010: Allen (two), Mitchell (one), WR Garrett Wilson (two), WR Omar Cooper Jr. (one), RB Breece Hall (one) and TE Kenyon Sadiq (one).
Allen has recorded 100-plus scrimmage yards in four consecutive games and since Week 4 has rushed for the second-most yards in the NFL (504) behind only Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving (548). The Chiefs upgraded their ground attack in free agency with Kenneth Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP who currently ranks No. 3 in the NFL with 770 rushing yards.
Additionally, rookie RB Emmett Johnson is starting to make an impact for Kansas City as well. In the 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos last week, Johnson had 128 receiving yards including a 73-yard TD, which was the longest by a rookie running back in Chiefs franchise history. While he has 77 rushing yards, Johnson has been productive in the passing game with 237 yards.
Their other prolific weapon, TE Travis Kelce, could play his 200th career regular-season game on Sunday. This season Kelce leads the Chiefs with 43 targets, 29 receptions, 410 yards (fifth most in the NFL) and 2 TDs. Noah Gray, the club's other TE, is targeted less frequently by QB Patrick Mahomes, but did score a TD against the Broncos last week.
The Jets have spread the ball around to their tight ends and in Week 8 when they ran a season-high 13 plays in 13 personnel (3 TEs) with Mason Taylor (39 snaps, 61%) and rookie Kenyon Sadiq (31, 48%), the most out of the position group. Sadiq has 186 yards and 1 TD this season, and Taylor, who missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a thumb injury, has 136 yards and 2 TDs.
Mahomes is in Year 9 as the starter and is averaging 256.4 yards per game -- last week he threw for 321 yards and 3 TDs. Meanwhile, for the Jets, Smith has put together an efficient start to his second stint wearing the Green & White, and in five of his past six games on the road he's produced a passer rating of 100-plus.
"He's really commanding the offense the way you want a quarterback to do that, so the drop back game he's doing a hell of a job, the play action game he's doing a hell of a job, he's getting the ball down field," Glenn said. "I think he's really taken off when it comes to that."
Kansas City has a top 5 scoring defense allowing opponents 18.7 points on average, but in its losses the past two weeks, it allowed Seattle 20 points and Denver 28. The Jets, despite narrowly losing by one score to the Raiders, had a season-high 33 points last week.
