Spotlight Game: Philadelphia at Kansas City

This game is a battle of NFC and AFC powerhouses. Both stand at 2-1, but the Chiefs are the ones scrambling to get back into the win column after an embarrassing 30-10 Monday night loss at Denver. However, Kansas City has some things going their way in this tilt. Not only are Donovan McNabb (probable) and David Akers (out) hobbled, but the Chiefs have won 16 of their last 20 at home. Can the Kansas city take advantage of this oppurtunity?

Philadelphia

Donovan McNabb: McNabb is, as always, a viable play in this situation. His numbers may suffer, though, due to the fact that he is entering hostile territory while playing through significant pain. I would start him without worry, however, unless you have a talented quarterback with a quality matchup sitting on your bench. McNabb should still be able to employ a mix on long balls to Terrell Owens and Greg Lewis while keeping the defense honest with screens to Brian Westbrook. Andy Reid may try to keep the ball out of McNabb’s hands early, but the outcome of the game will ultimately end up resting on his shoulders. McNabb will go for 24/39, 240 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception.

Brian Westbrook: This is the man that the Chiefs must concentrate on containing. Kansas City is aware that Westbrook can change the game in any situation, and he certainly made them take notice with over 200 total yards last week against Oakland. I fully believe that Kansas City will make Westbrook the focus for their defense throughout the game on Sunday. Regardless, Westbrook is a must start in all formats – he will get his touches along with his yards. Westy will go for 80 yards on 18 carries, 40 yards on 6 catches, and a TD.

Philadelphia WRs: Owens’ preseason angst has been replaced with a steady stream of productivity to start the year. Owners lucky enough to have him on their rosters should expect another ho-hum day of 100 yards and a TD. On the other hand, Greg Lewis was chosen by many to be a sleeper WR this year after Todd Pinkston’s season ending injury. Lewis has been productive in certain spots, but he is not yet consistent enough to use on a regular basis. Using him as a filler is even a stretch at this point. Lewis may find himself being the 3rd or 4th option in many situations in this game (behind Owens, Westbrook, and Smith), so he shouldn’t be a productive fantasy force at this point. I’ll give Lewis 30 yards on 3 grabs.

LJ Smith: I really Smith in this spot. It’s not easy to rely on him due to his inconsistency (29 yards in week 1, 119 and a TD in week 2, and 50 in week 3), but he should be looked to often in this game – partially due to the fact that McNabb’s injury should limit his mobility. McNabb will be looking for quick strikes on three-step drops a little more often in this game. In addition, this is the same Kansas City defense that was thrashed by Jets’ TE Chris Baker for 124 yards and a TD in week 1. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith with 60 yards and a TD by the end of the day.

Defense: A rare spot where the Eagles are not a good start as a team defense. Going on the road to face a team with offensive potential that is coming off a loss is not the recipe for success. Trent Green has been a little off to start the year, but I wouldn’t expect much in the way of turnovers from him, since he has thrown only one interceptions in 98 attempts this year. All in all, I expect only 1 turnover and 2 sacks from the Eagles here. In the secondary, Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis are your best bets. They will both get their tackles, and both have a chance to force a turnover or a sack. Both of them should add another 5 tackles to their resume in this game. In the front seven, Dhani Jones and Jeremiah Trotter are both borderline plays in my opinion. They will get their tackles, but do not expect anything spectacular.

Kansas City

Trent Green: Green has thrown only one touchdown pass in the 05-06’ season, and many are running to trade him away. After this week, owners should regain their confidence in him. Many will sit Green this week since he faces a tough Philadelphia defense, but I am here to tell you to start him without any hesitation. Green should be able to spread the ball around, especially late in the game. Heavy doses of Holmes and Johnson early should lead to wide passing lanes for the veteran. Green will be 21/32, 220 yards, 2 TDs, and no turnovers.

Priest Holmes/Larry Johnson: The vaunted two running back scheme has worked well for Kansas City so far, but it is a weekly nightmare for fantasy owners. Holmes is still the go-to-guy, as he has gathered more than double the carries that Johnson has had this year. Holmes is a must start, and Johnson should only be used in filler situations. Holmes finally began to affiliate himself with the passing game once again last week, and there is no reason that he shouldn’t be involved in every aspect of the game again in this game. Johnson will be a special player, but it is not yet his time to shine. Holmes will please his owners with 80 rushing on 20 carries, 30 receiving on 3 catches, and a TD. Johnson, once again playing second fiddle to Holmes, will gather 45 yards on 10 attempts.

Kansas City WRs: The Kansas City wide receiver situation is quite a simple one. Eddie Kennison is the only dependable receiver on this team. He is more consistent than many of the other highly touted receivers around the league. The one knock on Eddie is that he rarely sees pay dirt despite the high volume of looks he gets from Green. Eddie will break out of his TD slump against Philly on Sunday. Kennison has caught at least 4 balls in every game this season, and he will do so once again. Five catches, 75 yards, and a TD for Eddie. On the other side of things, Samie Parker is the picture of erratic play. He caught a garbage TD on Monday night, but he resembled a much-maligned Seattle wide receivers for the majority of the night. Parker was thrown into a good situation this year, but his penchant for dropping balls has got to be hurting his confidence and the team’s collective faith in him. Until Parker shows he can handle the daily rigors of the NFL, sit him. Parker will have no more than a mere 20 yards against the Eagles.

Tony Gonzalez: Tony G has been disappointing thus far this season. Does it have to do with Trent Green’s slow start? Probably. Gonzalez is not notoriously a player that you can hold down for a long period of time. Start Tony once again with confidence, as your persistence will be rewarded this week. Gonzalez will make his way to 75 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Defense: Even though the Chiefs are home in this one, there is no way that I would feel comfortable against an efficient, relatively mistake-free Eagles offense. Fantasy owners that play the Chiefs defense will not be particularly pleased, as they should only treat owners to a turnover and 1-2 sacks. In the secondary, Greg Wesley is a very solid play with his astounding 25 total tackles through three games. Patrick Surtain is a possible play, but he is a gamble since you would be backing on him picking up an interception or a sack in a corner blitz package. Rookie Derrick Johnson would be your best choice in the linebacker spot. Johnson flies all over the field and is a threat to make a dent in every defensive statistical category week in and week out. Johnson is young, but do not be afraid to start a player that has 21 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. The defensive line offers no viable plays at this point in time.

Sleeper

Mike Patterson: First-round pick Mike Patterson had been sharing time this year with Darwin Walker at the right defensive tackle position. However, with Walker out this week with a thigh injury, Patterson will see the majority of the time. He saw more time than usual last week against Oakland, and it equated to 3 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. If you need help at the DT position or need a bye week filler, Patterson is not a bad alternative. I like 5 tackles and possibly a sack this week, as he should be challenging Holmes and Johnson between the tackles.

Prediction

Things are looking up for Kansas City coming into this game. Even though their “improved” defense showed some holes against Denver last week, they were impressive earlier this season, especially in week one, their only home game of the year thus far (27-7 win over the Jets). They are back in the friendly confines of Arrowhead in this game, and I expect them to slow down the Eagles enough to prevail. The Eagles rushing defense has improved so far this year (allowing only 3.5 yards per carry), but the two-headed attack of Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson should give them trouble. Philadelphia will fall to 2-2 after this game, but they will regain control of the division down the line. Kansas City 27, Philadelphia 21.

 
Dave McGrath hopes to eventually turn his Communication major into a full-time sportwriting career. He can be found posting as dave416 in the Cafe forums.

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