Arrowheadlines: Patrick Mahomes falls out of top 10 in NFL.com’s QB rankings

Chiefs headlines for Thursday, November 4

The latest

NFL QB Index, Week 9: Matthew Stafford hits top five! What should we expect from Jordan Love? | NFL.com

11 Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 5

2021 stats: 8 games | 66.5 pct | 2,368 pass yds | 7.3 ypa | 19 pass TD | 10 INT | 229 rush yds | 1 rush TD | 5 fumbles

There’s no question Mahomes is coming off the worst two-game stretch of his career. And four-game stretch. And half-season. The turnovers have distracted from Kansas City averaging 5.0 yards per play or fewer in three of the last four games. The Jets and Lions average 5.0 yards per play. In a league where game plans are so lionized, the Chiefs know exactly how defenses will try to stop them each week. The defenses know how the Chiefs will try to counter. I’m tired of hearing the Chiefs need to be patient; 48 throws for 275 yards is plenty patient. They just haven’t been explosive or in rhythm on anything but the shortest of throws.

NFL Week 9 QB Power Rankings: Justin Fields makes major leap, Patrick Mahomes falls to bottom of top 10 | CBS Sports

9 – Patrick Mahomes

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QB

The play-making ability is obviously still there, but nothing looks routine or on-script with this guy. That works when the rest of your team does, as we’ve seen aplenty in the past, but right now it’s a frenetic mess. (-2)

2021 NFL trade deadline: Seven deals that SHOULD have happened | NFL.com

Allen Robinson

Chicago Bears · WR TO Kansas City Chiefs

Robinson is stuck in neutral offensively during what is looking like his final year in Chicago, on pace for a shockingly low yardage total (576) while he plays on the franchise tag. I understand why there might not have been a good match for Robinson on the trade market, but it’s a shame the Bears couldn’t at least secure some draft capital here. As for the Chiefs, the lack of reliable targets beyond Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce is just one of many issues dogging them in 2021. But the offense — which has been outscored by the Chiefs’ opponents, 220-208 — needs to figure something out if it is to keep up with the 29th-ranked defense. As a surehanded veteran who is also capable of breaking a big play or two, Robinson would have been a natural fit for the third-option role filled so ably by Sammy Watkins over the previous three seasons.

Packers expected to sign Blake Bortles amid COVID-19 issues in quarterback room | Acme Packing Company (Green Bay Packers SB Nation site)

On Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers saw third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert test positive for COVID-19. Then on Wednesday, starter Aaron Rodgers followed suit, testing positive himself. As a result of Rodgers’ status as an unvaccinated player, he will be out a minimum of ten days, ensuring that he will be out on Sunday for the Packers’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

These two players’ statuses mean that not only will Jordan Love be the starting quarterback for the Packers on Sunday, but that he is currently the only healthy quarterback on the team’s roster at present. Although there is still a chance for Benkert to test negative and return to back up Love in that game, the team needs some semblance of security at that position heading into the weekend.

As a result, the Packers are flying Blake Bortles back to Green Bay, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is expected to sign him upon his arrival. Bortles will sign onto the Packers’ practice squad and he will surely be promoted to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs if Benkert is not able to return in time for the game.

Prisco’s NFL Week 9 picks: 49ers hand Cardinals second straight loss, Patriots stay hot, Giants pull off upset | CBS Sports

Green Bay Packers (+7) at Kansas City Chiefs

Latest Odds:

Kansas City Chiefs -7.5

With Aaron Rodgers out with COVID-19, the Packers will really be challenged to move the football. But I think they will be able to run it with A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones. The Chiefs aren’t good on defense and their offense has struggled. So even with Jordan Love at quarterback, the Packers will hang around.

Pick: Chiefs 24, Packers 23

Chasing 113 points: Could a modern NFL matchup break the combined single-game scoring record — and how? | ESPN

The modern close call: 105 points

Fifty-two years after Washington and New York piled on points in record-setting fashion, the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs met in L.A. The two teams — both 9-1 going into the matchup — were scheduled to play in Mexico City, but because of abysmal field conditions at Estadio Azteca, the game was relocated to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum six days before the November 19, 2018 kickoff.

Coming off a devastating few weeks in the greater Los Angeles area that included a mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill, miles from the Rams practice facility, and wild fires that caused evacuations, more than 77,000 fans packed in to watch the Rams and Chiefs combine to score 11 offensive and three defensive touchdowns in what ultimately ended in an emotional and thrilling 54-51 Rams victory.

Judge Rules NFL Must Face Lawsuit Over Super Bowl Stream Failures | Hollywood Reporter

One football fan has dodged the NFL’s first line of defense in a lawsuit alleging the league breached the terms of the Game Pass service when Super Bowl LIV experienced streaming interruptions. On Tuesday, a New York federal judge allowed Sietel Singh Gill to move forward in his case.

Gill is attempting to lead a class action comprised of between 300,000-700,000 individuals in about 181 countries who paid the equivalent of approximately $200 for the service only to be disappointed by technical issues at crucial moments during the 2020 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

Around the NFL

Prosecutor: Former Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III driving over 150 mph before fatal crash | NFL.com

Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was driving at more than 150 mph with a blood-alcohol content twice Nevada’s legal limit before his sports car slammed into the rear of a vehicle that burned, killing a 23-year-old woman, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

The Raiders released Ruggs late Tuesday, just hours after the crash, his hospitalization and his booking into a Las Vegas jail. He had his initial court appearance Wednesday on felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and reckless driving that could get him up to 26 years in state prison if he is convicted.

Former Broncos OLB Von Miller on becoming a new Ram: ‘I went to sleep 4-4 and woke up 7-1’ | NFL.com

It brought about an emotional departure from Denver and an aspirational arrival in Los Angeles.

“It’s different. It feels like a movie. From coming into work on Monday and I was in a training room, and they said that George wanted to talk to me. I’ve been in league 11 years, so I already knew what this talk was going to be about,” said Miller, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection with 110.5 career sacks. “Initially, it hurt. I’ve been saying it kind of felt like removing a splinter. At first it hurts, it hurts bad. I’ve been there for 11 years. I don’t know anything else. I was a Denver Bronco. They told me that I was getting traded to the Rams. Hurts. Had all my goodbyes. Looking at my house, looking at all the memories that I had there throughout 11 years, it was tough. When I took off Tuesday morning, though, I had a nice view of the mountains and I told myself like, ‘Hey, taking off a Denver Bronco. When I land, I’m a Los Angeles Ram.’ I landed and the had camera crew out there, it was a warm welcome. Went to straight to get the physical. Came here to the facility, started meeting players and it starting to feel good. It’s starting to feel real good. You look at all the talent that we have. I went to sleep 4-4 and woke up 7-1. In the back end of things, it’s not really that bad. It’s better for me. It’s better for the organization. And you just got to let reality sink in that I get to play with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd and Matthew Stafford and his solid offensive line. And they got a solid team. The Denver Broncos are still building. They’re still a family and stuff, but this team was ready to win it right now, ready to win championships right now. And I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield ‘surprised’ by Odell Beckham Sr.’s critical post, says he hasn’t heard from OBJ | ESPN

Beckham was told not to attend Wednesday’s practice, one day after his father posted a video on Instagram highlighting times when Mayfield didn’t throw the ball to Beckham when he was open. In addition to other comments he made, Odell Beckham Sr. responded with three green check marks in the comments section of a post that said Mayfield was “either hating on Odell or he just doesn’t want him shining.”

Beckham Sr. also responded with “#bigfacts” to a post that called Mayfield “mediocre.”

“I’ve had conversations with his dad before, man-to-man, face-to-face, and I was pretty surprised by the video and the intentions and the feelings behind it,” said Mayfield, who scoffed at the allegation that he has deliberately not thrown Beckham’s way this season. “I would be lying if I said otherwise.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs shift to touchdown favorites vs. Packers in Week 9

The spread opened with the Chiefs as 2.5-point favorites but quickly shifted to the Packers as 1-point favorites despite having to travel to Kansas City.

But with Green Bay now set to take on the Chiefs without reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, Kansas City is favored again — and by quite a bit. DraftKings Sportsbook currently lists the Chiefs as 7.5-point favorites to win the game at the time of this writing.

Doing some quick math, that means that Las Vegas considers Rodgers worth 8.5 points against the Chiefs. Vegas is much less confident in Jordan Love, who is set to make his first NFL start against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

It is worth noting that the Chiefs closed as 10.5-point favorites against the New York before only winning by a margin of three points, 20-17.

Will they cover against the Packers now that Rodgers is out of the lineup?

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