Kansas City Chiefs fans are one head-hanging Sunday away from swapping their Jamaal Charles jersey for Graham Zusi’s. (If he’s not Sporting KC’s best player, then insert whoever is. I don’t watch soccer. I’m American.) Two weeks. Two Losses. Two ideologies clashing over who’s to blame: Andy Reid or Alex Smith.
Could Smith have completed more passes last Sunday? Sure. Could Reid have made better late-game decisions? Without a doubt.
The Chiefs dropped to 0-2 because the offensive line has the chemistry of Korea. All things considered, that’s where most of the blame starts and ends.
Overall, Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) ratings park the Chiefs offense at No. 21 in passing and No. 26 in rushing. Pass blocking? No. 31. The same holds true for run blocking.
Entering Week 3, Kansas City’s front five have resembled anything but pocket protectors. They’ve resembled people who wear them, because they’ve been getting bullied more than kids who strike out at kickball. (Chin up, Melvin.)
Rodney Hudson is the exception. He’s a sound pass-blocker and reliable in the ground game.
Eric Fisher, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, reverted back to his natural position and tends to bolt out of the gate but regress with time. He’s a second-year tackle who’s rebounding from two offseason surgeries. That doesn’t excuse mediocrity, but let’s not burn him at the stake just yet.
Fisher has every tangible tool imaginable to become a franchise left tackle. But if he doesn’t show a hint of consistency by Week 17, his position will be playing musical chairs again.
Zach Fulton is a sixth-round rookie starting on an inexperienced, disjointed line. Like Fisher, he can (potentially) become a starting staple for years to come, but he’s at the foot of an Everest-sized uphill battle.
Ryan Harris is a more-than-serviceable second-stringer. However, at 29 years of age, he’s not a spring chicken. He’ll hold down the fort until a suspended Donald Stephenson returns, but Harris’ upside is limited.
Unfortunately, Stephenson’s (draft) classmate, Jeff Allen, was officially placed on injured reserve, per the team’s Twitter account.
The #Chiefs have signed CB, Jamell Fleming and have placed Jeff Allen on Reserve/Injured.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 12, 2014
But enough with the overview.
Whiffs and GIFs
Play No. 1: 8-Yard Checkdown to Jamaal Charles
The first example occurs on the offense’s fourth play from scrimmage. And just to prove how one mishap can throw a wrench into execution, let’s delve into the anatomy of a run-of-the-mill play call.
Kansas City’s wideouts line up in a bunch set. Prior to the snap, Smith sees a single-high safety and two corners playing outside leverage—in this case, telltale signs of Cover 3.
T.J. Ward and his post-snap reaction will dictate where Smith dumps the ball. If the Pro Bowler blitzes, Donnie Avery should see a window open at the point of his break.
Ward and Brandon Marshall drop into coverage, though. The Chiefs attack the Broncos secondary with a levels concept—the routes don’t look identical, but they stem from the same philosophy—and with Bradley Roby (No. 29) hovering around Avery, Chris Harris’ (No. 25) reaction determines whether Smith will target his primary receiver (presumably Dwayne Bowe) or look elsewhere.
Harris mirrors Bowe’s change of direction and closes the distance. That option flies out the window.
However, Avery’s post route draws the underneath defenders, Ward and Marshall, well past the sticks. In turn, Charles leaks out of the backfield, snatches the pass and capitalizes on heaps of space—ultimately moving the chains.
Now witness McGlynn get manhandled, nearly thwarting the above effort.
Keep in mind that he (32.88″) has longer arms than Geoff Schwartz (32.25″) and outweighs Derek Wolfe, his assignment on this particular snap, by 40 pounds.
Denver’s nose tackle, Malik Jackson, fills the back-side A-gap, leaving Wolfe one-on-one with McGlynn. The former latches onto No. 75 before he even attempts to engage, granting easy access for Jackson to gain pad leverage and rag-doll the guard.
Wolfe elevates McGlynn off of the ground (both feet), and before Smith knows it, he has a set of pass-rushing paws swiping at his chest.
The original line of scrimmage resided at the offense’s 32-yard line. McGlynn was bull-rushed backward to Kansas City’s 23. During the ride, he inadvertently tripped Charles, which could’ve easily crippled the play and demanded a punt.
Play No. 2: 2-Yard Run by Charles (Injured)
On the following play, Charles, who would eventually hobble to the sideline, takes the outside zone handoff. Fulton and Hudson hold their own, but Lerentee McCray drives Harris into the backfield, forcing Charles to turn back inside.
Fisher whiffs on a cut block, and Jackson knocks McGlynn off balance before Marshall jolts him to the ground.
Sherman picks up DeMarcus Ware—the back-side pursuer—but is spun around into the ground.
The result? Charles runs into a rush-hour traffic jam, becoming wedged between three Broncos as Sherman’s leg whips into his.
Play No. 3: 25-Yard Run by Knile Davis
On the subsequent down, crafty play-calling and sound execution turn the tables.
At first glance, it looks as if the Chiefs are carrying out a basic split-zone run.
However, Bowe continues to run laterally (as opposed to engaging), dragging Ward along with him to the opposite end of the field. Smith and A.J. Jenkins sell the end-around handoff, freezing Ware and Marshall in their tracks.
While McGlynn greets the ground again (spot a trend?), Fisher rectifies the issue by plowing through Jackson and carving a massive lane for Davis to exploit, churning out 25 yards before the whistle.
Play No. 4: 15-Yard Run by Davis (Penalized)
Davis’ third run incorporates the same end-around decoy. And once again, it holds the attention of two Broncos defenders (Ware and Ward).
However, by the time McGlynn identifies his target, said linebacker is already brushing him aside. Fisher, meanwhile, fails at another cut block attempt.
Davis bounces outside for 15 yards, but Harris is flagged for holding Von Miller.
On the bright side, the play birthed a GIF of Travis Kelce (far left of the screen) drilling Roby into the earth. So there’s that.
Play No. 5: 24-Yard Pass to Kelce
Every time that Reid called Jenkins’ number and employed “ghost” motion, it stagnated defenders and sent the front seven into disarray. You can bank on that (and a heap of other motions) returning to the game plan.
Reid also fed Denver its own pick-and-pop medicine.
On this 3rd-and-13, Smith sends Fasano in motion. Quinton Carter mirrors the action, confirming man coverage. Considering Reid’s knack for converting 3rd-and-a-prayer situations (through unconventional scheming), playing man is a mistake.
The Broncos attack with a strong-side stunt blitz. Wolfe acts as a quarterback spy, which leaves Ware mano-a-mano with Fisher.
Since Ware had occasionally victimized Fisher via inside moves, the left tackle appears overly cautious while sliding. That, in turn, opens an unabated lane to the quarterback for No. 94. On the opposite end, Harris fails to pick up the delay and Smith surveys the field while two Broncos storm the pocket.
Fortunately, he flings a pass to Kelce before being tossed to the ground.
The play design centers around the “mesh” concept, which crosses two pass-catchers—in this case, Kelce and Fasano—at slightly different depths. Denver’s blitz all but forces them to play Cover 1 (man coverage), resulting in a head-on collision between Carter and Aqib Talib. Basically, Fasano runs a “rub” route and creates congestion, freeing up Kelce underneath.
The other receivers stretch the field vertically, culminating in Kelce rumbling upfield for 24 yards.
What to Expect
At the end of the day, regardless of who is starting at what position, you’re going to be looking at an improvised offensive line. Reid’s late-game decision-making was far from bulletproof last Sunday, but his play-calling—given the Chiefs’ laundry list of injuries and prowess of their opponent—was also the reason why Mile High was buzzing with tension at the final two-minute warning.
So, what can you expect in Week 3? Brevity (and Smith running like a hare on a greyhound track). Obviously, all the staples (screens, slants, short drops, etc.) will be present.
Taking it a step further, every time that Reid called Jenkins’ number and employed “ghost” motion, it stagnated defenders and sent the second line of defense into disarray. You can bank on that (and a plethora of other motions) returning to the game plan.
Also, fast-acting concepts (like “mesh”) should, to a degree, help negate the Dolphins’ pressure-cooking front seven.
With two games in the books, PFF’s ratings slot Miami at No. 1 in run defense and pass rush; No. 3 in coverage. As previously mentioned, Kansas City’s O-line sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.
There are a handful of tried-and-true tactics when it comes to bypassing poor protection and shoddy blocking.
Judging from Week 2, Kansas City will need every trick in the book.
Statistics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).