The New York Jets may be 2-6, but they are a feisty bunch. They will be without star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, but they still have plenty of young weapons trending upwards.

Geno Smith looked like maybe the worst quarterback in the NFL last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, barely topping 3,000 yards with 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. This year, he is top 10 in passing, with 12 touchdowns to just three interceptions. 

The Jets have lost six games, but against the Packers, Lions, Patriots, Dolphins, and Raiders, each one came by one score.

There are many reasons to think this one could be closer than the records suggest. It is also a game Kansas City badly needs, however. The Chiefs are 5-2 and trail the 6-2 Broncos after last week’s heartbreaker, and they will be without both first-round picks, Mansoor Delane and Peter Woods. 

This is the first of three must-win games against the Jets, Falcons, and Cardinals before a five-game gauntlet of the Bills, Rams, Bengals, Patriots, and 49ers. The Jets are wounded, having lost three in a row, and with head coach Aaron Glenn on the proverbial New York hot seat, Kansas City could kick them while they are down. 

Here is the biggest matchup on each side of the ball in a game with plenty more than what meets the eye. 

Offense: Travis Kelce vs. the Jets’ pass defense

Since Week 5, the Jets have allowed six catches for 57 yards to Colston Loveland, four catches for 48 yards to Hunter Henry, Greg Dulcich led the Dolphins in receiving with five catches for 86 yards, and last week, both Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer had big days against the Jets’ secondary. Bowers caught seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Mayer brought in five for 53.

Travis Kelce has been nursing an ankle injury, but he rebounded with five catches for 67 yards against the Broncos in Week 8. The 14-year veteran already has games of 101, 71, 59, and 53 yards this season, and this matchup has the makings of another that gets him back into that range. 

With Mayer also getting his last Sunday, that could foreshadow Noah Gray getting going against New York, too. Gray is just five yards shy of his 2025 total and has three games this season with 39 or more yards, including a touchdown last week against Denver.

New York ranks near the bottom of the league in rush defense, which bodes well for Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson, but a closer look shows the Jets are more middle-of-the-pack in yards per carry. Andy Reid will likely wear the defense down with Walker, leaving room for Patrick Mahomes, Kelce, and Gray to attack the secondary.

Defense: The Chiefs’ pass rush vs. Geno Smith

Kansas City is tied for last in the NFL in sacks, with just nine entering Week 9. Once again, the Chiefs have a prime chance to turn that around, with Smith already sacked 23 times this season. 

What is interesting is that the Jets’ offensive line is performing well. Olumuyiwa Fashanu has given up the 15th-most pressures among offensive tackles and Armand Membou the 34th-most, while interior linemen Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann, and Dylan Parham have each allowed 11 or fewer pressures. The unit ranks among the top 10 in pass-block grading, according to PFF. 

Where things go wrong for the Jets is that Smith has the second-highest percentage of pressures turned into sacks among qualified quarterbacks. Either defenses are winning easily when they do get pressure, or Smith is holding onto the ball too long. The reality is probably somewhere in between, given that he ranks in the middle of the pack in time to throw.

We also have recent proof of what a Steve Spagnuolo defense can do to him. These are not the same circumstances, but in Week 7 last year, the Chiefs held Smith to 10-of-16 for 67 yards and a 6.1 QBR, on a day when the Raiders earned just three first downs and ran only 30 offensive plays. 

A repeat of that performance is unlikely, especially with how well he has been finding Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell lately, but George Karlaftis and company need to make Smith uncomfortable. This season, he has just two touchdowns and two interceptions under pressure, and his passer rating drops from 115 to 78 in those 97 dropbacks. It sounds like a great week for Chris Jones to get back on track.