Next Gen Stats: Kansas City Chiefs
How fast is Tyreek Hill?:Tyreek Hill reached a maximum speed of 22.77 MPH on his 86-yard TD return against Denver (fastest max speed by a ball carrier this season).Â
*Houston is back: *Justin Houston finished second in the NFL in average time to tackle in Week 12 (3.60 seconds).
Will Peters shadow Julio Jones?:Marcus Peters has never "shadowed" a receiver during an NFL game. The second-year CB has been lined up at the left cornerback position (meaning he's matched up against WRs lined up wide right) on 94.3 percent of the coverage snaps in his career.Â
Achilles heel: Kansas City has allowed a 73.0 passer rating to receivers lined up wide right this year (Marcus Peters' side). However, the Chiefs have allowed a 95.4 passer rating to WRs lined up wide left (Phillip Gaines' side).Â
Potential advantage:Alex Smith has the quickest time to throw of any QB in the league (2.36 seconds from snap to pass). That may play into Kansas City's favor, as Atlanta is tied for the most TDs allowed (13) and 5th-most yards allowed (1,671) when opposing QBs release the ball in under 2.50 seconds.Â
Next Gen Stats: Atlanta Falcons
Where's Julio?:Julio Jones has lined up wide left on 51.0 percent of his snaps this year. The Chiefs have allowed a 95.4 passer rating to WRs lined up wide left.Â
*Holding speedsters in check: * The Falcons have not allowed a wide receiver to exceed 20 MPH on a TD reception this season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have allowed three receivers to exceed 20 MPH on TDs this season (Emmanuel Sanders in Week 12, Bennie Fowler in Week 12 and Darrius Heyward-Bey in Week 4).
*Contrasting QB styles: *Matt Ryan ranks 1st in the NFL in completions and passer rating on passes of 20+ air yards. Alex Smith ranks 27th and 28th, respectively, on passes of 20+ air yards.Â
Achilles heel: Atlanta is tied for the most TDs allowed (13) and 5th-most yards allowed (1,671) when opposing QBs release the ball in under 2.50 seconds.Â
