Chiefs-Saints 5 questions with the enemy: Can Derek Carr write a new story at Arrowhead?

On Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs face the New Orleans Saints. We welcome Nic Jennings of Canal Street Chronicles — our sister SBNation site covering the Saints — for Five Questions with the Enemy.

New Orleans has struggled to overcome the loss of C Erik McCoy, who was placed on IR after going down just 3 snaps into the Week 3 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles due to a groin injury that required surgery. Along with RG Cesar Ruiz, who missed the last game with a knee injury, the Saints' offensive line has taken a hit. Everything runs through McCoy, and without him identifying things up front, it has been a challenge for Derek Carr and the offense. They've had trouble staying on the field, causing the defense to fatigue quickly, with both of the past two games resting on their shoulders for one final stop.

OG Shane Lemieux filled in for McCoy at center against Atlanta, and it wasn't great. Without Ruiz, the right side of the line hasn't held up, led by RT Trevor Penning who has still yet to find his footing in the NFL. They insisted on running the ball to that side against the Falcons, and as you can imagine, it didn't work out so well. When running to the side of stud rookie LT Taliese Fuaga and veteran LG Lucas Patrick, who has thrived early during his time in New Orleans, RB Alvin Kamara and the Saints' run game have found the majority of their success.

Taysom Hill, who has proven to be a key piece of this offense, has suffered a bruised lung and fractured ribs over the past three weeks. Saints HC Dennis Allen mentioned that he is uncertain if Hill will land on IR, making this a significant development for the offense worth monitoring. The offense has seen 18 drives (excluding kneel downs) with Taysom and 18 without. In the 18 drives with him, they've scored 11 TDs and 4 FGs. Without him, they've managed just 2 TDs and 4 FGs. Due to Hill's early exit on Sunday, Kamara had 26 of the Saints' 61 touches in Atlanta (42.6%), and he's had 55 touches in the past two games, which is unsustainable for a 17-game season. He is currently dealing with a hip pointer and a fractured rib but practiced on a limited basis on Thursday. Luckily, RB Kendre Miller could potentially make his return from IR on MNF in KC, which would relieve some pressure on Kamara who leads the league in scrimmage yards (536) and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 6.

Carr's 3-14 record against Kansas City is certainly not encouraging with a primetime matchup in Arrowhead on the horizon. However, I believe that if the Saints can establish a run game early, it can ease the burden on Carr and open up the passing game. One of Carr's strengths is his ability to stretch the field, and an effective ground game, combined with OC Klint Kubiak's use of play action and pre-snap motion, typically sets up those deep shots to WRs Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. This was the Saints' bread and butter through the first two weeks of the season.

Fun fact: Derek Carr needs just 76 passing yards on Monday night to reach 40,000 career passing yards, which has only been done 24 times in NFL history.

Tyrann Mathieu has meant everything and more to the city of New Orleans and their Saints since joining the team in 2022. The Honey Badger has recorded 182 total tackles (129 solo), 1 sack, 2 FF, 2 FR, 9 INTs, and 1 TD in 38 games with the black and gold. He hasn't missed a single game. This season, he's battled various injuries but has appeared in all four games, totaling 15 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 2 INTs.

He was named the 2023 New Orleans Saints Man of the Year partly due to his work with the Son of a Saint organization and has consistently spent his free time helping those in need in his community. His love for the state of Louisiana and passion for the game of football have provided the Saints a pulse in times of need.

On offense, I'm still patiently waiting for a breakout performance from UDFA WR Mason Tipton out of Yale. He was a star during the early portion of training camp before going down with an injury that sidelined him throughout the entirety of the preseason. Despite that setback, Tipton made the Saints' 53-man roster, as the coaching staff is clearly high on the speedster (4.33-second 40-yard dash), who proved to be a constant big-play threat in practice. He currently ranks third in team receptions among WRs (4), trailing Shaheed (15) and Olave (20). Meanwhile, nobody has stepped up to claim the open WR3 role, so Tipton is someone to keep an eye on.

On defense, I firmly believe DE Carl Granderson remains criminally underrated. Among current league ranks, he sits 3rd in pressures (22), 5th in pass-rush win rate (22.3%), tied-6th in sacks (4), tied-2nd in FFs (1), tied-8th among edge rushers with an 88.0 overall PFF grade (min. 100 snaps), and tied-10th among edge defenders with an 82.8 pass-rush grade (min. 100 snaps). He has improved each year and has developed into an absolute force in his sixth NFL season. Dennis Allen noted that we should anticipate seeing more of the Carl Granderson-Chase Young duo, especially with Cameron Jordan looking to have taken a major step back in his production in year 14. I expect Granderson to bring the intensity against Kansas City and continue his strong start to the season.

In order for New Orleans to secure the victory in primetime, the offense needs to establish that run game early and ideally open the game with a score. The defense has to contain QB Patrick Mahomes and do their best to limit TE Travis Kelce's impact on the game, although neither of those tasks will be a walk in the park. Eagles TE Dallas Goedert tallied 170 yards and 10 receptions against the Saints in Week 3, including the game-sealing 61-yard reception. Dennis Allen's defenses have had their troubles with mobile quarterbacks and pass catching tight ends.

That being said, I expect New Orleans to enter this matchup with a must-win mentality and a sense of urgency. My prediction is that they will hand the reigning Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season, 21-17, with the game-winning score coming in the final two minutes. Demario Davis also appears to be eyeing a return to the field after missing last week's game in Atlanta, which would provide a significant boost for the Saints' defense.