Kansas City Chiefs: Four things to watch vs Saints in Week 15

What to watch in Kansas City Chiefs vs New Orleans Saints – No. Offense vs No. 2 Defense

This matchup will be more than just Patrick Mahomes versus Drew Brees, as the game will spotlight the Chiefs’ No. 1 offense against the Saints’ No. 2 defense. Most of the Chiefs’ offensive success is thanks to their passing game. Even against tough defenses like Miami, the Chiefs are always explosive.

Between Tyreek Hill’s massive touchdown run or touchdown catch, the Dolphins could never let their guard down. With Mahomes under center and all his weapons, the Saints will struggle to guard everyone for 60 minutes and the Chiefs will score points in this game. That’s a near certainty.

Meanwhile, the Saints have been phenomenal on defense. Their defense is second against the run and fourth against the pass, which means that the Chiefs are going to pull out some of their best plays to score in New Orleans. Every defense has struggled to keep the Chiefs’ offense contained for the whole game, but the biggest factor will be within 20 yards.

Red zone efficiency for the Chiefs has been a nightmare and could be what hurts the Chiefs the most on Sunday. The Chiefs have struggled with scoring touchdowns when in the red zone, ranking No. 22 in the league. They improved against the Dolphins scoring with a nine-yard touchdown to Travis Kelce, but the Chiefs are also struggling on the defensive side here as well.

KC is ranked dead last in red-zone defense. Meanwhile, the Saints are ninth in offensive red zone scoring. They won’t have much of a problem scoring in the red zone if they can get there.

What to watch in Kansas City Chiefs vs New Orleans Saints – Protect the Quarterback

All of Kansas City cringes anytime they see their franchise quarterback hit the turf. Sadly, this is becoming more frequent. Last week against Miami was rough for Mahomes and Chiefs fans. The offensive line allowed three sacks and seven quarterback hits last Sunday. The biggest being the 30-yard sack Mahomes took while running away from defenders. This isn’t something Kansas City can afford to repeat, as sacks are drive killers.

This might be a struggle again as the Chiefs could be without multiple starters on the line. Eric Fisher, Mike Remmers, and Mitchell Schwartz could all be ruled out for Sunday. All three have been missing practice and Schwartz has been on IR since Week 7 (Fisher did practice on Friday for what it’s worth).

The Saints are no strangers to getting to the quarterback. They have accumulated 36 sacks on the year, so be prepared to see Kelce and the running backs do a bit more blocking on Sunday.