Brett's Cowboys Corner

This Thursday the Kansas City Chiefs will make their return to Dallas and try to get back into the playoff picture.

The Chiefs began their franchise history with the AFL in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, sharing the Cotton Bowl with the NFL’s newest 1960 franchise, the Dallas Cowboys.

By 1962, it was clear that Dallas could not support two pro football teams. Though at the time the Texans were the more successful club, Lamar Hunt wanted to move away from the Cotton Bowl and Dallas, and looked at many big cities like Miami and New Orleans. But it would be Kansas City, Missouri offering Hunt a great deal on a new stadium and the commitment to creating a sports city that moved the Dallas Texans to Kansas City.

In 2025, the Chiefs are looking to get back into the Superbowl but sitting at 6-5, they find themselves on the outside looking in. The Chiefs trailed by 11 in the 4th quarter against the Colts last week and they were able to force OT and kick a game winning FG to avoid a 3 game losing streak.

In week 7, the Chiefs got an offensive weapon back in Rashee Rice. He has led the team in target share since his return. Rice has been the Chiefs go-to target in the red zone, as his 44.8% red zone target share is the 5th-highest among all receivers in Weeks 7-12; no other Chiefs receiver has a mark above 14% during that span.

Patrick Mahomes has relied on his receivers gaining yards after the catch, as YAC has accounted for 57.0% of his total passing yards, the 7th-highest share among qualified quarterbacks.

Mahomes has targeted pass catchers behind the line of scrimmage on 24.8% of his attempts this season, the 4th-highest rate in the league. As a result, he leads the NFL in completions (88), attempts (101), and yards (516) on passes behind the line of scrimmage.

Their receivers are better at attacking zone coverage compared to man coverage. The Cowboys continue roll out a new cornerback group with Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel on the outside. The Chiefs move their WRs around a lot, and rely on their track speed to kill you.

It will be difficult for the Cowboys to be in their 5-man defensive line fronts, having Osa, Clark and Williams all on the field as the Chiefs are not a run focused team.

On the other side, the Cowboys will have to account for a dominant DT, Chris Jones, who is coming off a strong performance in Week 12, as he generated a 13.3% pressure rate and a 10.0% quick pressure rate, both of which are his 2nd-highest marks of the season.

On the edge, George Karlaftis has generated a team-high 45 pressures this season, ranking tenth in the NFL. His matchup will be backup Nate Thomas, as Tyler Guyton will miss this game with a high ankle sprain.

Trent McDuffie is the best corner for Kansas City, he is best in man coverage and will likely line up and try to be physical with George Pickens. Pickens leads the NFL with 439 receiving yards against man coverage this season, more than 100 yards ahead of the next closest receiver (Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 321).

The Chiefs will need to finish the season strong to get a playoff berth, after Dallas they only have AFC opponents, Houston, Tennessee, and each of their division opponents.

Winning out may not be enough for Dallas, as the NFC is strong this season and as it currently stands a 7-win team would be left out of the playoffs today, let alone a 5-win Dallas team.