It’s the game within the game—the chess match between coaching staffs.
When you face divisional opponents twice per year, there aren’t a lot of secrets or surprises in store for one another.
At your disposal, you have statistics—tendencies based on down and distance, formation and personnel groupings—there’s so much information that each team has on one another that the little tweaks and adjustments are often what can make a difference between a win and a loss.
For the most part, you know what they do, and they know what you do—go and do it better.
“That’s a fun part of it as you set up the week,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid explained of the chess match between teams.