Minnesota Vikings vs. Chiefs in Week 9: The Kansas City perspective

To get an idea of how the Chiefs are viewing their Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings, here is a look at how the game is viewed through Kansas City’s eyes.

By now, fans have seen a lot of information about what to expect from the Minnesota Vikings during their Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs but it’s hard to get a handle on what the opposite side of the game is thinking.

For that reason, The Viking Age has reached out to Cullen Jekel at KC Kingdom to get an idea of how their team is getting ready for the big matchup on Nov. 3 as well as see how they view the purple and gold.

We asked him five questions about the upcoming game. Here are his responses to the questions!

1. Do you think Patrick Mahomes will be the team’s starter for this game? And if so, is it smart to play him against the Vikings pass rush?

‘No, I don’t think he’ll be the starter, and if he is, that certainly isn’t a smart move by the Chiefs. The Vikings have a great pass rush, led by Danielle Hunter, and with Patrick Mahomes hobbled not only with his dislocated kneecap but also his ankle sprain from back in Week 1, the Chiefs would be playing with fire putting in Mahomes so soon. Matt Moore played very well against the Packers, getting more comfortable as the game progressed. With him back in there, Kansas City would still have a shot in this game.’

2. Will the Chiefs be able to stop the offensive weapons of Minnesota? And which players will be the key to containing them?

‘It’s going to be tough for the Chiefs to contain the trio of Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Dalvin Cook. All season long, the Chiefs have been thrashed by opposing running backs. Last week, against the Packers, while Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams didn’t defeat the Chiefs on the ground, they did through the passing game. The Chiefs have struggled to cover running backs, as evidenced by Jones absolutely torching linebacker Anthony Hitchens on multiple plays in the 31-24 loss.

In order to contain the Vikings weapons, the Chiefs will need to apply pressure on Kirk Cousins. With Chris Jones and Frank Clark probably out again, that falls upon Alex Okafor, Tanoh Kpassagnon, and Emmanuel Ogbah, among others. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is going to have to cook up some creative blitzes, too.’

3. Who are one Chiefs player on offense and one on defense who Vikings fans may not know but should be aware of heading into Sunday?

‘While he’s making a name for himself, rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman is still relatively unknown. He’s dangerous in open space due to his incredible speed, and he’s getting more engaged in the offense on a weekly basis. Plus, against the Packers, he had several excellent returns. Hardman is making a case to be the team’s new No. 2 wide receiver. On defense, I’ll go with Damien Wilson, a veteran linebacker signed away from Dallas in the offseason. He leads the team in tackles and has added a pass-rush element to his repertoire recently.’

4. Other than crazy crowd noise, what is it about playing in Kansas City that is such an advantage to the Chiefs?

‘Recently, nothing. This year, the Chiefs are 1-3 at home and 4-0 on the road. Maybe that has more to do with injuries than with the schedule, but it does bolster my belief that home-field advantage doesn’t exist in professional sports.’

5. What are your predictions for this game? Include a final score.

‘The Chiefs defense has been playing well, and I expect that to continue. But the Vikings will still put up points, especially with Thielen back in the fold. And Minnesota will win a close one as Kansas City’s offense just won’t be able to hang.

I’m going with Minnesota 30, Kansas City 23.’

Huge thanks go out to Cullen Jekel at KC Kingdom for taking the time to answer these questions for The Viking Age and look forward to the big matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.