Five Players to Watch in Week 5's KC Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings Matchup

Kansas City has several players worth keeping an eye on this Sunday in a road matchup against the Vikings.

The Kansas City Chiefs are winners of three games in a row, and Sunday afternoon will see Andy Reid's squad attempt to rattle off victory No. 4 in as many games.

Kansas City is once again hitting the road, this time traveling to Minneapolis for a Week 5 battle against the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O'Connell's group is just 1-3 this season but has suffered some close losses and is coming off its first win of the 2023 campaign. Given that the Vikings went 13-4 just one season ago and boast a roster still filled with talent, dropping to 1-4 would be a massive disappointment. 

This is as close to a must-win early-season game as there is for the host team, but the visitors have plenty of room for improvement in their own right. Despite a stellar start to the year on defense, Kansas City has underwhelmed a bit on offense as multiple players haven't played up to their usual standards. Is Sunday a potential get-right game? We will soon find out what's in the cards. 

With that in mind, here are some players to keep an eye on as the Chiefs take the field against the Vikings.

Patrick Mahomes

The Chiefs' best player, Patrick Mahomes, hasn't exactly played like that through four games. The two-time NFL MVP has eight touchdowns to four interceptions this year, and last week's win over the New York Jets saw him commit a pair of ugly turnovers on underthrown passes that were forced a bit. Mahomes took the blame this week for the offense's struggles to this point, saying if he elevates his level of play then the rest of the unit could follow suit. Facing an aggressive-style Brian Flores defense may be just what the doctor ordered for the top signal-caller in the sport to get back on track. Mahomes needs to have a bounce-back performance. 

Isiah Pacheco

Isiah Pacheco had quite possibly the best game of his young career this past Sunday, toting the ball 20 times for 115 yards and also hauling in three passes for 43 yards. The former seventh-round pick was Kansas City's leading contributor in the narrow win, consistently churning over first downs and providing big-time plays when the team needed them. With veteran Jerick McKinnon's workload settling some and Clyde Edwards-Helaire's snap count fluctuating, the Chiefs could be leaning on their 24-year-old halfback a bit at this stage of the season. If Pacheco is heavily involved in the game plan, how he responds in the production and durability areas will be worth watching. 

Travis Kelce

Speaking of production and durability, both of those elements have been in question for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce this year. After the All-Pro missed Week 1 against the Detroit Lions with a bone bruise in his knee, he hasn't quite appeared to have the same amount of juice upon returning to play. With that said, he does have a combined 13 receptions on 17 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown over his last two games. A Kelce breakout could be imminent, especially now that he's just over a month removed from his injury. Could this be the weekend that Kelce goes from very good back to truly great? For the Chiefs' sake, they're hoping it is. 

L'Jarius Sneed

With second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie emerging as a fantastic option in the slot, this has allowed fourth-year man L'Jarius Sneed to play almost exclusively on the outside this year. As a result, the veteran is also getting to shadow or follow the opposition's top boundary wideout on a weekly basis. Fully containing Justin Jefferson is virtually impossible, but Sneed's track record in recent weeks suggests that he'll do his best to at least slow down the likely No. 1 receiver in the league. Sneed's length, experience, physicality and vertical athleticism allow him to profile very well on the outside, and Kansas City will need him to have one of the best games of his career on Sunday. 

Montrell Washington

Because Richie James is still on the injured reserve list, Montrell Washington remains the Chiefs' primary option in the return game. In two games on the job, the 2022 fifth-round pick has four punt returns for 43 yards but hasn't brought back a kickoff. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub mentioned during the week that it's preferred to have someone capable of doubling in the return game, which Washington is, although the team has yet to see it in live action. After he returned 18 kickoffs a season ago, perhaps this is the game that sees Washington start tallying up his 2023 total.