Kansas City @ Minnesota preview
U.S. Bank Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2021 ) Minnesota 25, Kansas City 28
The Kansas City Chiefs will go for their fourth win in a row when they visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Kansas City (3-1) is coming off a 23-20 win on the road against the New York Jets in Week 4. The Chiefs blew a 17-point advantage but regained the lead early in the fourth quarter and held on for the victory.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he needed to limit mistakes against Minnesota. He blamed himself for throwing a pair of interceptions versus the Jets.
On the season, Mahomes has completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 1,006 yards, eight touchdowns and four picks. His 92.0 passer rating is 13 points below his career average.
"I've just got to put us in better positions and make better decisions so guys can go out there and make plays down the field," Mahomes said. "I just haven't played very good to start the season. I think if I start playing better, everybody will start playing better."
Minnesota (1-3) also is focused on improvement, particularly when it comes to limiting turnovers on offense. The Vikings dropped their first three games of the season before holding on for a 21-13 win on the road against the Carolina Panthers last week.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson to help the Vikings erase a halftime deficit. Cousins has passed for 1,214 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, and Jefferson has hauled in 33 catches for 543 yards and three scores.
Cousins said this week would be tough against a Chiefs unit that is led by longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
"He's been in this league a long time and had a lot of success," Cousins said. "I used to see his scheme when I was in Washington twice a year. Now with him being in Kansas City and us being here, I have not seen him since 2019 when we went to Arrowhead.
"They play a lot of different defenses and they have great players. I think that's a big part of it too, is you look at their roster. It's a great scheme and players who execute it well."
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones leads the team with 3 1/2 sacks and five quarterback hits. Michael Danna and George Karlaftis also have caused problems for opposing quarterbacks, with 2 1/2 sacks and two sacks, respectively.
On offense, Travis Kelce's 17 catches lead the team. He has racked up 155 receiving yards and two touchdowns while drawing international attention for his burgeoning relationship with pop singer Taylor Swift.
Kelce is going for his third straight game with six-plus catches and 60-plus receiving yards.
The Vikings' defense hopes to spoil Sunday for Kelce and the Chiefs for the first time since the celebrity romance went public. Danielle Hunter has five sacks to lead Minnesota, and Harrison Smith has three sacks to go along with two forced fumbles.
Kansas City notched a 26-23 win in the last meeting between the teams Nov. 3, 2019. The Chiefs lead the all-time series 7-5, with the home team winning each of the past six games.
For the Chiefs, DE Matt Dickerson (knee) did not participate in practice while LB Nick Bolton (ankle) and CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) were limited.
For the Vikings, safeties Josh Metellus (shoulder) and Lewis Cine (hamstring), OLB Marcus Davenport (ankle), center Garrett Bradbury (back) and LB Brian Asamoah II (toe) were limited. Three players were listed as DNP for rest.
--Field Level Media