Tweet
St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs 8:00 PM ET
Over 41 St. Louis/Kansas City –108 (2 Units)
St. Louis wasn’t able to put anything on the scoreboard in their first preseason game last weekend as the offense mustered only 10 points against the Bears. A lot of that was due to the great amount of playing time from the rookies and younger players, which will change for tonight. "That was the biggest opportunity they'll have of all the (preseason) games," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "Playing time, exposure - the whole thing. From this point on, it will be lessened to a great extent." The Chiefs defense, still disjointed at times from the change in coordinators and systems, would like more than the three remaining weeks until the Sept. 12 opener at Denver. The defense still has problems. This overshadows anything else. They allowed 331 total yards last week and that was against a much less open offense than what they will see Monday. “Our defense isn't put together yet,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “I'm confident it will get put together. I just don't know how long (it will take).” It isn’t going to happen this soon however. “The problem is they don't really feel how to play the game yet,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “There's progression in all three position groups. The last phase is to have success. There are a lot of players on this defense that have what it takes athletically and have the right attitude. But we're teaching a new system, so there's a lot of thinking going on out there. We're not always seeing the top end of that athlete yet."
Vermeil said the starting offense will get more action Monday night against the Rams than it did in the preseason opener against the Giants. Specifically, Trent Green and Priest Holmes will play more. Green played three series and looked sharp completing seven of 11 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. The Kansas City offense started right where it left off last season as three quarterbacks combined to pass for 361 yards. It was the most yards through the air by any team in the first week of the preseason. “We will play them a little more,” Vermeil said of the 1st unit. “I have not talked to the staff yet, but my basic thought is to play the first half. I want to rotate guys in who we want to see play with the starters and see them. Or put a No. 2 guy in and take a starter out. That type of thing.” What makes the yardage numbers more impressive is the fact that the top 3 receivers were out. Two of those three will be back tonight as Eddie Kennison and Marc Boerigter return from injury. The Rams yielded only 13 points to Chicago but they did give up 314 total yards, including 145 on the ground at a hefty 5.6 ypc. The Bears killed themselves committing 19 penalties. The opening drive was short-circuited by four penalties and the Bears had been hit for 105 yards by halftime.
This could turn into a mirror image from last preseason when the Rams scored 6 in their opener against Oakland and then hung up 26 against Tampa Bay in their next game. The Chiefs did the same thing, scoring 26 in their second game last year after scoring 6 in their opener as well. Those 6 points scored is the last time Kansas City has put up less than 24 points at home. Both teams went a combined 4-0 over last season in weeks 2 and 3, the two weeks that starters receive the most time on the field. The average score in those games was 52.3 ppg.
Over 41 St. Louis/Kansas City –108 (2 Units)
St. Louis wasn’t able to put anything on the scoreboard in their first preseason game last weekend as the offense mustered only 10 points against the Bears. A lot of that was due to the great amount of playing time from the rookies and younger players, which will change for tonight. "That was the biggest opportunity they'll have of all the (preseason) games," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "Playing time, exposure - the whole thing. From this point on, it will be lessened to a great extent." The Chiefs defense, still disjointed at times from the change in coordinators and systems, would like more than the three remaining weeks until the Sept. 12 opener at Denver. The defense still has problems. This overshadows anything else. They allowed 331 total yards last week and that was against a much less open offense than what they will see Monday. “Our defense isn't put together yet,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “I'm confident it will get put together. I just don't know how long (it will take).” It isn’t going to happen this soon however. “The problem is they don't really feel how to play the game yet,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “There's progression in all three position groups. The last phase is to have success. There are a lot of players on this defense that have what it takes athletically and have the right attitude. But we're teaching a new system, so there's a lot of thinking going on out there. We're not always seeing the top end of that athlete yet."
Vermeil said the starting offense will get more action Monday night against the Rams than it did in the preseason opener against the Giants. Specifically, Trent Green and Priest Holmes will play more. Green played three series and looked sharp completing seven of 11 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. The Kansas City offense started right where it left off last season as three quarterbacks combined to pass for 361 yards. It was the most yards through the air by any team in the first week of the preseason. “We will play them a little more,” Vermeil said of the 1st unit. “I have not talked to the staff yet, but my basic thought is to play the first half. I want to rotate guys in who we want to see play with the starters and see them. Or put a No. 2 guy in and take a starter out. That type of thing.” What makes the yardage numbers more impressive is the fact that the top 3 receivers were out. Two of those three will be back tonight as Eddie Kennison and Marc Boerigter return from injury. The Rams yielded only 13 points to Chicago but they did give up 314 total yards, including 145 on the ground at a hefty 5.6 ypc. The Bears killed themselves committing 19 penalties. The opening drive was short-circuited by four penalties and the Bears had been hit for 105 yards by halftime.
This could turn into a mirror image from last preseason when the Rams scored 6 in their opener against Oakland and then hung up 26 against Tampa Bay in their next game. The Chiefs did the same thing, scoring 26 in their second game last year after scoring 6 in their opener as well. Those 6 points scored is the last time Kansas City has put up less than 24 points at home. Both teams went a combined 4-0 over last season in weeks 2 and 3, the two weeks that starters receive the most time on the field. The average score in those games was 52.3 ppg.