Four quarterbacks KC Chiefs must contain and pressure in 2019
By Chris Clark
It’s no secret that teams with better quarterback play are tougher to beat. From a budding young star to a familiar foe to Super Bowl MVP’s, the KC Chiefs will have their work cut out for them when it comes to containing those guys.
In looking at the 2019 schedule, there are multiple quarterbacks that the Kansas City Chiefs will have to really prepare for. That’s not to say that week in and week out that any given quarterback could take advantage of an unprepared Chiefs team, but it’s obvious that some opposing signal callers will be more dangerous than others.
Here are four quarterbacks that Kansas City must contain this season.
Week 3 – Lamar Jackson
In his rookie campaign, Lamar Jackson did enough to steal the starting spot from veteran quarterback, Joe Flacco. That may not be saying much, but for any rookie to take the starting role over a veteran in year one does say something about that player.
While Jackson still needs time to develop as a passer, he does have the ability to create or extend plays with his legs, causing teams to prepare a little differently.
Last year the Chiefs played the Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium and it took overtime to take down the Jackson-led team. The former Louisville product only threw for 147 yards in that game, but did walk away with two touchdown passes without an interception.
Add in his 67 yards rushing on 14 carries and it appears as though Jackson put together a decent game, especially being inside the walls of the loudest stadium in the world.
In Week 3 of the 2019 season, Jackson and the Ravens will again return to Arrowhead to get another shot against the Chiefs. In his second year, Jackson will likely be an improved quarterback and will already have a game of experience playing with the crowd noise in Kansas City. But how will he fair this time around?
Worth noting for this game is that this will be the Chiefs’ home opener. After spending the first two games on the road, the Chiefs will be ready to play in front of their home crowd. This in itself might be the biggest boost for a retooled defense and new defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, will have his guys ready.
One thing that won’t bode well for Jackson this year is that Kansas City revamped defense won’t be as easy to read as it was last year for the rookie.
Chiefs fans should look for the twist and stunts of coach Brendan Daley’s defensive line group to confuse the young quarterback and hopefully, cause some poor decision making. Even so, the Chiefs will have to be prepared for a dual-threat quarterback in Jackson.