Chiefs-Jets scouting report

When the Chiefs run

Jamaal Charles (363 yards) and Knile Davis (401) rank first in the NFL among all running back tandems in which both players have rushed for at least 275 yards. But the Chiefs, who rank third in the league in rushing, will go up against the fifth-ranked team in rushing defense, and it could take some patience to crack a tough defensive front of Sheldon Richardson, Damon Anderson and Muhammad Wilkerson.

When the Chiefs pass

Despite playing with a sprained right shoulder, Alex Smith completed 24 of 28 passes for a franchise-record 85.7 percent completion rate against the Rams, but he has attempted a league-low 30 passes downfield farther than 15 yards, and Chiefs’ wide receivers have caught a league-low 57 passes and no touchdowns. The Jets rank tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks with the Chiefs with 24, so expect the short passing game to continue with Smith throwing quickly to Charles, De’Anthony Thomas and tight ends Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano. The Jets are banged up at cornerback, and despite the pressure the front seven puts on the passer, New York has but one interception all season.

When the Jets run

The Jets rank fourth in the NFL in rushing, and their most dangerous runner might be quarterback Michael Vick. Chris Ivory is a punishing runner inside, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and Chris Johnson is the speedy outside threat, though he has had just 67 touches. Ivory scored twice last week against Buffalo, leaving the Chiefs as the only team in the league not to surrender a rushing touchdown.

When the Jets pass

Frustrated with the performance of Geno Smith, who threw 10 interceptions in seven games and is the lowest-rated passer in the NFL, the Jets have turned to 34-year-old Michael Vick to run the offense he operated at Philadelphia under Chiefs coach Andy Reid. With Smith at quarterback, the Jets rank No. 32 in passing offense and will be going against the NFL’s No. 1 defense against the pass and the NFL’s sack leader Justin Houston. Vick has some weapons in former Bronco Eric Decker, who caught four TD passes against the Chiefs last year from Peyton Manning, and speedy Percy Harvin, who played 44 of 84 snaps a week after he was acquired from Seattle.

Special teams

The kicking game proved to be the difference for the Chiefs last week as Cairo Santos ended the first half with a 53-yard field goal and Knile Davis opened the second half with a 99-yard kickoff return, resulting in a 17-7 lead. Dustin Colquitt has planted 16 of his 28 punts inside the opponents’ 20; New York’s Ryan Quigley has put 12 of 42 inside the 20.

Coaching

This will be a mirror image of a game. Both teams run similar West Coast offenses, as the Jets’ offensive coordinator Marty Morninweg spent 10 years as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator/assistant head coach at Philadelphia, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton imported much of his defense from New York, where he worked for Rex Ryan. The Jets coaches are lame ducks, so expect them to empty the playbook.

X-factor

The Chiefs are playing consecutive home games for the only time this season, and they’re hoping there’s no letdown in the crowd’s energy coming off the World Series. Crowd noise can exacerbate problems for a Jets team that is tied for the lead in turnovers with 18 and fifth in penalties with 63.

Bottom line: Chiefs 23-16

The Chiefs can ill afford a home loss to a 1-7 team if they have any designs on reaching the playoffs.

Randy Covitz, rcovitz@kcstar.com

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Chiefs-Jets scouting report."