Rams could make statement on defense Week 11 by keeping Patrick Mahomes in check

The defense of the Los Angeles Rams will certainly have their hands full come Monday night when they face Patrick Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs.

In a matter of hours, the Los Angeles Rams will host the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that many believe will turn out to be the highest-scoring contest of Week 11 when looking at the offenses both teams have to work with.

While the Rams have been flying high thanks to Jared Goff and Todd Gurley leading the way on offense, the Chiefs have seen similar results, if not better, with Patrick Mahomes II under center.

Back in the offseason, Kansas City knew they were taking a huge risk in making Mahomes the new starter when Alex Smith was still playing at a high level. But when looking at the impact the youngster has already made during his first full year as the starter, there’s no question the Chiefs are better off with Mahomes.

Whether it’s his insane arm strength or simply the explosiveness he brings to the table, Mahomes is a rare kind of NFL quarterback. And if he continues to play at this high of a level, there’s a good chance that Mahomes will be the leading candidate to take home MVP honors when the time comes down the road.

Through 10 games, Mahomes already has 31 touchdown passes to his name, as the Chiefs deserve a ton of credit for surrounding him with one of the best offenses in the NFL thanks to players like Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill.

Take these skills into consideration with his ability as a runner when needed, it’s easy to understand why Los Angeles will have their hands full come Monday night when it comes to keeping Mahomes in check.

With all due respect to Los Angeles, some of their play on defense this season doesn’t exactly have fans feeling confident in their chances of being able to stop Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City’s offense.

In fact, if Mahomes ended up finishing the contest with four or five touchdown passes, this really wouldn’t come as a surprise at all since the secondary has been anything but reliable since Aqib Talib went down back in September.

However, big games like Monday sometimes bring out the best in teams, and when looking at all of the work Sean McVay‘s squad put in leading up to this game, Week 11 looks like the perfect opportunity for the Rams’ defense to finally make a statement.

For obvious reasons, the defensive line with Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh will do everything in their power to provide the necessary pressure on Mahomes. But if Los Angeles is going to have any chance at pulling off the win in this one, the secondary will need to figure out a way to play better than recent weeks.

Otherwise, the Rams could end up with their second loss of 2018, and if that does end up happening, it will only make it tougher to finish ahead of the New Orleans Saints for the top seed in the NFC since they owe the rights to the tiebreaker.

Keeping Mahomes in check certainly won’t be easy for Los Angeles on defense, but if the Arizona Cardinals can limit the Kansas City star to just two touchdown passes, why shouldn’t the Rams like their chances of making a statement?