A Tale of Two Teams

By: Mike Rifkin

The NFL preseason continues on Friday night in Arizona as the reigning two-time AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs travel to play the Arizona Cardinals. The latter are hungry for a playoff spot. Two of the most explosive offenses will be on display. Last season the Chiefs were first in yards per game, and the Cardinals were sixth. Kansas City was sixth in points per game, averaging 28.5. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were 14th, averaging 25.6.

The Cardinals last season were 8-6 and controlled their destiny in the final two weeks to secure a playoff spot. They lost to an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers team and, in week 17, lost to the Rams when quarterback Kyler Murray injured his ankle. Murray is expected to make his preseason debut Friday night. The Cardinals signed future Hall of Famer JJ Watt to a two-year contract worth 31 million dollars with 23 million in guaranteed. Pairing Watt with Chandler Jones, who is coming off biceps surgery, in 2019 was second in Defensive Player of the year voting. The secondary will also look a little different as for the first time since 2010, cornerback Patrick Peterson will not be there, as he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. The Cardinals did replace him with former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler. The Cardinals added receiver AJ Green from the Bengals, James Conner from the Steelers, and center Rodney Hudson, who they acquired in a trade with the Raiders, as the Cardinals look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The Chiefs have the most explosive offense in the NFL. The last time we saw Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, he was running away from the swarm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in the Super Bowl, a game the Chiefs lost 31-9. The two-time defending AFC champions decided to work on the offensive line this offseason, adding guard Joe Thuney against the New England Patriots, signed veteran lineman Kyle Long out of retirement, and traded with the Baltimore Ravens for tackle Orlando Brown. They will also get back Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who was not with the team last season but stayed in Canada as a doctor to help with the covid pandemic. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs defense ranked 16th in the NFL in total defense. This is a group with stars like defensive tackle Chris Jones and safety Tyrann Mathieu, but watch second-year cornerback L’Jarius Sneed take a step forward after having three interceptions in his rookie season.

The Chiefs are the hunted in the AFC as they have won the conference two consecutive seasons. The Cardinals want to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, but it will be challenging in the NFC West. But get your popcorn ready because Friday night, these two offenses can put on a show.