Arrowheadpride
Chiefs must lean on offensive line amidst offensive struggles
A.Hernandez3 months ago
What started as a promising game for the Kansas City Chiefs ended in disaster, with them blowing a second-half lead and losing 21-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles. The game was full of miscues, including dropped passes galore and critical red-zone turnovers from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. While the onslaught of poor play affected nearly every skill player on the Chiefs, it did not take away from the offensive line's performance. The poor offensive performance overshadowed what was a good outing by the front five against the Eagles' elite front. The unit gave up only one sack while also blowing open holes for running back Isiah Pacheco.Pass protection Outside of an extremely ugly rep on the game's second play, the Chiefs' protection against the vaunted Eagles pass rush was good. The unit has been solid in protection in general this season, and they continued the trend Monday night. Sack rate and average time to throw with only five pass blockers, which would not indicate the use of any chip blocks or extra blockers in formation.
Not only are the Chiefs the best in both categories, but they have attempted the third most passing plays in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/tZWz8VAqFe — Caleb James November 22, 2023 When looking at strictly five-man pass protection plays without using a chip block or other tight end presence, the Chiefs have the lowest sack rate in the NFL. It also gives Patrick Mahomes the longest time of any quarterback in the pocket at 3.11 seconds per pass attempt. While Mahomes does more than his fair share to keep plays alive, the play by the line has been strong, especially given the circumstances in the downfield passing game. This week, in particular, their job would be tough, but they managed to keep Mahomes clean and give him enough time to attempt to distribute the football. The Eagles attempted to run a number of stunts and twists to throw the Chiefs' protection off, but the line was well prepared to thwart any would-be pressures violently. Philly wants to run a T/E stunt, but Taylor and Smith pass it off well. Smith tosses the end away easily while Taylor overtakes the DT. They give 15 time to try to make a play. pic.twitter.com/07IjJqycLb — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Trey Smith continued his hot streak by battling with Jalen Carter and Fletcher Cox all game. He brought his lunch pail and made several impact blocks throughout the course of the night. On the infamous dropped pass, a heads-up play from Smith allowed Mahomes more time in the pocket. The protection on the MVS dropped ball was good. Taylor is aided some by Rice, but for the most part it is a five-man protection. Carter almost beats Thuney, but Trey Smith punches the DT who returned to the A gap into Carter slowing him down. pic.twitter.com/Vs40HdKuAn — Caleb James November 22, 2023 As you can see, the Chiefs run protection with the slide side of the line to the right. Smith has a man in the B-gap next to him, but on the snap, the defensive tackle returns to the A-gap, becoming Creed Humphrey's assignment. Smith keeps his eyes to the right, but once he feels that Jawaan Taylor has secured his block, he turns back to help. On the opposite side, Carter nearly beats Joe Thuney, but when Smith comes back to give a help block, he slams the A-gap rusher into Carter, slowing him down and giving Mahomes a clean pocket. Smith was outstanding all game, and even with his team down to its last play, he was delivering fierce hits and imposing his will. The last play of the game. Graham starts to beat Taylor to the B gap, but Trey Smith blasts him and then turns his attention to Reddick. It was a dart from Mahomes, but not enough to be pulled in. The time was there. pic.twitter.com/120bpG8Wp5 — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Even on plays in which the Chiefs did receive the use of chip blocks, the line still had to protect for long periods of time. Yes, McKinnon and Kelce are in to help chip and provide presence against the edge rushers. Mahomes also has the ball in his hands for almost 5+ seconds. Tremendous work to keep mirroring and even picking up the looper while not losing ground by the OL. pic.twitter.com/yvMD7Nl2Em — Caleb James November 22, 2023 McKinnon and Kelce both chip, but the line does an excellent job of mirroring the defenders and fighting to stick between their men and Mahomes. The ball is out of Mahomes' hands after nearly five seconds in the pocket, and the Chiefs are rewarded with a pass interference call downfield. When considering no one has a larger target on their back than Mahomes and looking at how much time he has been given in the pocket, it helps put in perspective how difficult the lines job has been in pass protection this season and also shows that they have done a nice job all year of handling the load this season.Diversifying the running game The Chiefs entered the game with back-to-back sloppy performances running the ball. In the first half, the team came out hot. A big run from Pacheco. Reddick actually drops on the snap, and Taylor manages to get him sealed inside. Trey Smith creates a decent amount of movement against Fletcher Cox and a void opens on the right side of the line. Rashee Rice continues to fight to finish the play. pic.twitter.com/nCA2lbJnpK — Caleb James November 21, 2023 This zone run was very reminiscent of the long run he had in the Divisional Round against Jacksonville . The edge looks to drop on the snap, but Taylor sticks with him, and Smith creates enough movement to allow Pacheco a massive running lane. The Chiefs ran their typical zone look early but changed the personnel. The best way to get KT back involved in the offense?
Use him traditionally for a while.
Philly has 0 LB's in the box at the time of the snap. Trey Smith creates movement on the 3tech, Taylor strikes the edge, Thuney and Humphrey seal the nose. pic.twitter.com/msFDHOI1eB — Caleb James November 21, 2023 Kadarius Toney has been dormant for a few weeks as teams have caught on to his role as the team's "gadget player." The best way to re-involve him in the offense would be for them to re-incorporate him into the regular game plan, and they did so this week in the running game. The Eagles were unfazed by Toney, and on the snap, they did not have a single linebacker in the box. The line created movement, and Toney found a hole. As continued to mix up personnel, they also ran a few different types of running plays, mixing in power as well as outside-zone looks with their typical mid-zone plays. It is frustrating knowing how effective the Chiefs are at running power, and how little they do it. Taylor and Smith create movement on the 3tech while Thuney pulls around. Good contact from him and a good block from Watson+Kelce opens up the hole. Violent finish to the play. pic.twitter.com/nHR1oSLoNs — Caleb James November 21, 2023 Taylor has looked improved in the run game since he got to town, and he was able to help create vertical movement with Smith to get power going. Thuney pulls around and lays a textbook block while Pacheco hits the hole hard. KC running a true outside zone toss. Kelce motions presnap and it helps give him an angle to seal the edge. Gray works to the second level while Donovan Smith does a nice job of sealing the 4i. He also gets a hand on the LB who flowed over to make the play. Strong run by CEH. pic.twitter.com/mpxawnzEXc — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Donovan Smith also had a bounce-back performance and made a couple of impact blocks in the ground game. While Kelce and Noah Gray are responsible for sealing the outside and working up to linebackers, Smith does a good job of reaching the and sealing the defensive tackle, and then getting just enough of the linebacker to free up Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs finished with 130 rushing yards, and while the running did stall in the second half, the line should have been effective enough to win the game.The bottom line As the issues with turnovers and consistency catching passes persist, the Chiefs will have to rely on the offensive line more and more. They are far from perfect, but they showed on the game's biggest stage that they can compete with the best the league has to offer. The team will need the line if they want any chance of defending their title in February.
Not only are the Chiefs the best in both categories, but they have attempted the third most passing plays in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/tZWz8VAqFe — Caleb James November 22, 2023 When looking at strictly five-man pass protection plays without using a chip block or other tight end presence, the Chiefs have the lowest sack rate in the NFL. It also gives Patrick Mahomes the longest time of any quarterback in the pocket at 3.11 seconds per pass attempt. While Mahomes does more than his fair share to keep plays alive, the play by the line has been strong, especially given the circumstances in the downfield passing game. This week, in particular, their job would be tough, but they managed to keep Mahomes clean and give him enough time to attempt to distribute the football. The Eagles attempted to run a number of stunts and twists to throw the Chiefs' protection off, but the line was well prepared to thwart any would-be pressures violently. Philly wants to run a T/E stunt, but Taylor and Smith pass it off well. Smith tosses the end away easily while Taylor overtakes the DT. They give 15 time to try to make a play. pic.twitter.com/07IjJqycLb — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Trey Smith continued his hot streak by battling with Jalen Carter and Fletcher Cox all game. He brought his lunch pail and made several impact blocks throughout the course of the night. On the infamous dropped pass, a heads-up play from Smith allowed Mahomes more time in the pocket. The protection on the MVS dropped ball was good. Taylor is aided some by Rice, but for the most part it is a five-man protection. Carter almost beats Thuney, but Trey Smith punches the DT who returned to the A gap into Carter slowing him down. pic.twitter.com/Vs40HdKuAn — Caleb James November 22, 2023 As you can see, the Chiefs run protection with the slide side of the line to the right. Smith has a man in the B-gap next to him, but on the snap, the defensive tackle returns to the A-gap, becoming Creed Humphrey's assignment. Smith keeps his eyes to the right, but once he feels that Jawaan Taylor has secured his block, he turns back to help. On the opposite side, Carter nearly beats Joe Thuney, but when Smith comes back to give a help block, he slams the A-gap rusher into Carter, slowing him down and giving Mahomes a clean pocket. Smith was outstanding all game, and even with his team down to its last play, he was delivering fierce hits and imposing his will. The last play of the game. Graham starts to beat Taylor to the B gap, but Trey Smith blasts him and then turns his attention to Reddick. It was a dart from Mahomes, but not enough to be pulled in. The time was there. pic.twitter.com/120bpG8Wp5 — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Even on plays in which the Chiefs did receive the use of chip blocks, the line still had to protect for long periods of time. Yes, McKinnon and Kelce are in to help chip and provide presence against the edge rushers. Mahomes also has the ball in his hands for almost 5+ seconds. Tremendous work to keep mirroring and even picking up the looper while not losing ground by the OL. pic.twitter.com/yvMD7Nl2Em — Caleb James November 22, 2023 McKinnon and Kelce both chip, but the line does an excellent job of mirroring the defenders and fighting to stick between their men and Mahomes. The ball is out of Mahomes' hands after nearly five seconds in the pocket, and the Chiefs are rewarded with a pass interference call downfield. When considering no one has a larger target on their back than Mahomes and looking at how much time he has been given in the pocket, it helps put in perspective how difficult the lines job has been in pass protection this season and also shows that they have done a nice job all year of handling the load this season.Diversifying the running game The Chiefs entered the game with back-to-back sloppy performances running the ball. In the first half, the team came out hot. A big run from Pacheco. Reddick actually drops on the snap, and Taylor manages to get him sealed inside. Trey Smith creates a decent amount of movement against Fletcher Cox and a void opens on the right side of the line. Rashee Rice continues to fight to finish the play. pic.twitter.com/nCA2lbJnpK — Caleb James November 21, 2023 This zone run was very reminiscent of the long run he had in the Divisional Round against Jacksonville . The edge looks to drop on the snap, but Taylor sticks with him, and Smith creates enough movement to allow Pacheco a massive running lane. The Chiefs ran their typical zone look early but changed the personnel. The best way to get KT back involved in the offense?
Use him traditionally for a while.
Philly has 0 LB's in the box at the time of the snap. Trey Smith creates movement on the 3tech, Taylor strikes the edge, Thuney and Humphrey seal the nose. pic.twitter.com/msFDHOI1eB — Caleb James November 21, 2023 Kadarius Toney has been dormant for a few weeks as teams have caught on to his role as the team's "gadget player." The best way to re-involve him in the offense would be for them to re-incorporate him into the regular game plan, and they did so this week in the running game. The Eagles were unfazed by Toney, and on the snap, they did not have a single linebacker in the box. The line created movement, and Toney found a hole. As continued to mix up personnel, they also ran a few different types of running plays, mixing in power as well as outside-zone looks with their typical mid-zone plays. It is frustrating knowing how effective the Chiefs are at running power, and how little they do it. Taylor and Smith create movement on the 3tech while Thuney pulls around. Good contact from him and a good block from Watson+Kelce opens up the hole. Violent finish to the play. pic.twitter.com/nHR1oSLoNs — Caleb James November 21, 2023 Taylor has looked improved in the run game since he got to town, and he was able to help create vertical movement with Smith to get power going. Thuney pulls around and lays a textbook block while Pacheco hits the hole hard. KC running a true outside zone toss. Kelce motions presnap and it helps give him an angle to seal the edge. Gray works to the second level while Donovan Smith does a nice job of sealing the 4i. He also gets a hand on the LB who flowed over to make the play. Strong run by CEH. pic.twitter.com/mpxawnzEXc — Caleb James November 22, 2023 Donovan Smith also had a bounce-back performance and made a couple of impact blocks in the ground game. While Kelce and Noah Gray are responsible for sealing the outside and working up to linebackers, Smith does a good job of reaching the and sealing the defensive tackle, and then getting just enough of the linebacker to free up Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs finished with 130 rushing yards, and while the running did stall in the second half, the line should have been effective enough to win the game.The bottom line As the issues with turnovers and consistency catching passes persist, the Chiefs will have to rely on the offensive line more and more. They are far from perfect, but they showed on the game's biggest stage that they can compete with the best the league has to offer. The team will need the line if they want any chance of defending their title in February.
Read the full article:https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2023/11/22/23972033/chiefs-must-lean-on-offensive-line-amidst-offensive-struggles
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