Monday Night – Washington Redskins at Kansas City Chiefs

We head to barbecue country on Monday night for a matchup between 2 of the NFL’s more questionably named teams. Coincidence? Perhaps… But either way, these teams will be ready to play some football. Each of these franchises has tried desperately to prove themselves in recent seasons, but have come up dramatically short in the playoffs. They’re on the cusp of joining the NFL’s elite franchises, but haven’t been able to seal the deal with a Super Bowl or even a deep playoff run. Alex Smith and Kirk Cousins will go head to head in prime time to assert themselves as a Super Bowl-caliber QB.

Keys to the Game

Redskins

Washington is going to need a great game from their offense if they want to get a win at Arrowhead Stadium. Newly acquired weapon Terrelle Pryor is going to need to make some big plays against a very stingy KC defense. Cousins will be under fire all night and Marcus Peters will be lurking in the secondary to pick off any errant passes. The Skins can’t afford to turn the ball over — especially considering that Peters has the return skills to turn those INTs into 6 points in an instant. Getting the running game going will be crucial for Washington to keep the pass rushers at bay and allow Cousins to make plays down the field and allow his receivers to get into the endzone.

Chiefs

Kansas City will need to focus on drumming up some offense of their own. We’ve seen them explode for 30 plus points at times only to be held without a touchdown in other games. The Chiefs cannot afford to have a dismal offensive performance in this one or they’ll find themselves out of contention early. A good game from Spencer Ware and the running back stable will be necessary to keep the pressure off Alex Smith, who has never truly been able to win games with his arm alone. Working the ball to playmakers Jeremy Maclin and Spencer Ware will allow the Chiefs to earn a comfortable win on Monday Night Football.