The word, ‘dominant’ gets thrown around quite a bit in sports nowadays, but I think dominant is an apt description of the Kansas City Chiefs performance in Houston last Saturday. Top-to-bottom, the entire Chiefs team embodied the very essence of the word. So after such a cohesive and comprehensive dismantling of the Texans, the question is: will we be able replicate any of that come Saturday in Foxborough?
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While I am apprehensive as to how effective this offense can be with two of its top play-makers suffering from ankle injuries (Maclin and Ware) and whether the secondary will be able to stifle the likes of Edleman, Amendola, and some guy named Rob, there is one unit more than capable of having a Houston-esque performance. That unit would be the Chiefs defensive line.
You see, although the Patriots have the aforementioned weapons on offense, they, like the Chiefs, have been plagued by lackluster offensive line play all season. Check out this glowing review courtesy of PFF, “Only G Josh Kline finished with an above average grade. Every single other lineman on their team has a grade of back-up level or lower.” In other words, Poe, Bailey, and Howard should be ready to eat on Saturday!
Against the Texans, those three tormented the offensive line, both in the run and pass game, all afternoon long. So as courtesy to the Patriots, let’s take a look at what Poe & Co. brought to the table in Houston, and will be looking to bring to Gillette Stadium.
Stuffing the Run
Some may take a look at the box score and scoff at the notion that this unit shut down the Texans run game. Sure, 114 yards on 25 carries isn’t exactly being shut down, but over 40% of that total came on a single Alfred Blue run where both DeVito and Nick Williams (Zombo too, but he’s technically not a member of the line) were in to give the starters a breather. Outside of that slip-up, – which didn’t end up costing the Chiefs, obviously – this unit did a fantastic job of clogging lanes and occupying blockers. And when it comes to clogging lanes, nobody does it better than Poe.
I have to question what the Texans were hoping to accomplish by leaving Poe single blocked on this stretch play. They must not have received the memo where it clearly spelt out that this isn’t the same Dontari Poe they faced back in Week 1; seems like the only logical explanation. Anyways, I digress.
This is classic Poe power, he not only drives the poor center back three-yards into his own backfield, but he directs the guy right into the path of the running back. The back makes an attempt to cut to the other side of Poe, but all it takes is one massive arm (an assist from Howard didn’t hurt either) to derail that idea.
While that play does get reflected on the stat sheet, so much of the work these guys do enables other guys to get theirs. The box score won’t give them their proper due, so the Chiefs Film Room is here to rectify that!
This is the pre-snap view of Houston’s super innovative “Watt-cat.” As you can see, there’s a little bit of a gap in the line just in front of Mauga, and that’s exactly where the play was designed to go. Now, I’ve highlighted (from left to right) Bailey, Howard, and Poe because they are the primary reason why this will go down as one of the most incompetent play calls in Texans postseason history. Out of the five Texans highlighted, just one guy needs to get to the second-level and it’ll probably be a touchdown. Five blockers on three defenders seems like pretty good odds, right?
Not against these three! Bailey, while on the ground, has managed to prevent either of his blockers from making it to the second-level, and to his right, three Texans are doing everything they can to not be overwhelmed by the combined mass of Howard and Poe (a lean 650 pounds). There is not a single blocker who is remotely close to clearing either DJ or Mauga out of the hole. The “Watt-cat” was DOA.
Whether it’s needing to commit multiple blockers to each guy, or single blocking them and praying they don’t make a play (good luck with that), the Patriots line is going to have a tough time opening holes for their backs.
But don’t fret, Brady, this line has something for you as well.
Collapsing Pockets
Most game previews out there are citing the Chiefs pass rush versus the Patriots offensive line as one of the key matchups. And while I completely agree, 99 percent of these previews are specifically referring to the Chiefs edge rushers. Not one has pointed to the fact this Chiefs defensive line is more than capable of making things uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks.
The Texans game was littered with moments of defensive line pass rushing excellence. Two plays come to mind immediately: Poe absolutely abusing the center and forcing Hoyer into throwing a goal line interception, and Allen Bailey using his Hulk-like strength to bull rush the left tackle straight into the quarterback, causing a fumble.
Not one to be excluded, Jaye Howard went out and probably earned himself a few more free agency dollars by busting out a move like this:
The guard barely gets his hands on Howard before they’re swatted away. Once that happens, Howard easily turns the corner and leaves the guard powerless to prevent the upcoming sack. That’s a 300-pound defensive end moving like an outside linebacker.
Where as Howard utilizes pass rush moves you wouldn’t expect from a guy of his size, Bailey does exactly the things you’d expect of a guy built like a truck.
He’s not only strong, but he is also great at keeping his pad level low when engaging with a blocker. Such a combination of size and leverage makes plays like the one above a weekly occurrence. From the moment Bailey engages the Texans guard, he’s only moving in one direction – straight to the quarterback. At no point during that play is the guard able to anchor himself and stop the bull rush, his presence is pretty much a formality here.
The two plays above had one key element in common (other than the whole sack thing): Bailey and Howard were both left single blocked. With Poe drawing double-teams on a consistent basis, and our edge rushing talent flanking either side, both of these guys will find themselves in quite few mano-a-mano situations against the Patriots. Their ability to win one on one and get to Brady is something the Chiefs are going to badly need on Saturday, especially given the health of Houston and Hali.
The Chiefs defensive line holds the key to grounding the Patriots attack on Saturday; shutting down the run will force the Patriots to become one-dimensional, giving Bob Sutton a fantastic chance of forcing Brady into a mistake or two. As the old saying goes, “Games are won and lost in the trenches.” If that is indeed true, it’s comforting to know we got Poe & Co. on our side.
Chiefs GIF of the Week
Umm ref, they’re kinda holding Poe…
What. A. Beast.