Week 5 Game Preview: Saints vs. Chiefs

The New Orleans Saints have their first primetime game of the season in Week 5. Unlike last year, when the first primetime game was against a struggling Panthers team, this year's matchup will be much harder. On Monday Night Football, the Saints will travel to Missouri to face the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Arrivals and Departures for the Chiefs

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Main Arrivals

• Marquise Brown
• Xavier Worthy
• Kingsley Suamataia
• Irv Smith Jr.
• Matt Araiza

Main Departures

• L’Jarius Sneed
• Willie Gay
• Tommy Townsend
• Nick Allegretti

Throughout the offseason, the Chiefs were able to add good players in positions of need, but the departure of key defense contributors overshadowed these moves. The loss of L’Jarius Sneed and Willie Gay could cause issues for the defense. In recent history, the Chiefs could replace important defensive players who departed in the offseason, but they did not do this this year. L’Jarius Sneed was one of the best cornerbacks in the league last year, but because of contract issues, he was traded to the Tennesse Titans. Willie Gay was a game-changer for the Chiefs, and as many Saints fans know, he signed with New Orleans during free agency.

Although the Chiefs might have gotten worse on defense, they were able to upgrade their offense this offseason. Wide receiver has been an issue for the Chiefs since the departure of Tyreek Hill, but this offseason, it seems that they were able to finally fill this need. With the potential suspension of Rashee Rice, WR was an even bigger need, and the Chiefs added former Arizona Cardinal Marquise Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy. Both WRs are absolute threats on deep balls and run after the catch, and they have added more versatility to the Chiefs offense.

How do the Saints match up with the Chiefs?

Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

The Chiefs have been the best team in the NFL in recent years. After two straight Super Bowl wins, the goal will be to become the first team in NFL history to win three in a row. The Saints will be underdogs in this game, and it could be the hardest matchup of the season. Not only are the Chiefs the better team, but the roster matchup is also not good for the Saints. The Chiefs have a very good defensive line, with one of the best defensive tackles in the league, Chris Jones. The Saints offensive line will need to step it up in the new Kubiak scheme to compete against the Chiefs defensive line, but the issue is that this matchup is early in the season. At this point in the season, the offensive line will still be fixing certain issues and perfecting the scheme. The Chiefs will not have to worry about their potential cornerback issues if they can affect the quarterback and run game consistently.

Going onto the defensive side of the ball, the matchup is also not the best. The Saints strength on defense is their defensive backs, but the issue is that New Orleans will be going against the best QB in the league. Patrick Mahomes can make any DB room look average, and with the speed at WR, there could be real issues in this game. The Chiefs' run game has improved in recent years, and with the threat of Mahomes using his legs, the Saints defensive line could also struggle.

Considering both sides of the ball, it will be a tough game for the Saints to win. Writing the Saints off in this matchup is not a good idea. If the offense makes the strides they expect, this game could be viewed in a much different light. This is also very true for the defensive line and run defense. The other interesting point is that the New Orleans Saints have many people in the franchise who are familiar with the Chiefs. Tyrann Mathieu, Willie Gay, and Khalen Saunders are all Super Bowl champions with the Chiefs. Also, Derek Carr and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are familiar with playing against Kansas City. The Saints will be able to utilize these people to make a good game plan against the Chiefs, and that is vital to achieving the win.

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