Kansas City Chiefs: Maclin Shmaclin, RUN THE BALL!
The Kansas City Chiefs have had an eventful offseason. While free agency was practically nonexistent the drafting of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first round and the release of star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has given Chiefs fans plenty to talk about.
“How long will Patrick Mahomes need to be ready to start in the NFL?”
“Will Alex Smith step up this season knowing his future as a starter is on the line?”
“What were the Chiefs thinking when they cut Jeremy Maclin?”
“Can Tyreek Hill step up and be a true number one wide receiver now that Maclin is gone?”
Look, I want answers to all of these questions just as much as anyone. Heck, I’ve written multiple pieces here at Arrowhead Addict debating those very points. Here’s the thing though: all those questions that we’ve been obsessing over relate to one aspect of one side of the football.
Yes, the NFL is a passing league. The quarterbacks always get the headlines and the highlights. Maybe someday if Patrick Mahomes does turn into a star quarterback, the Chiefs will be a team that lives and dies by passing the football. They are not going to be that team in 2017. As interesting as it is to debate about the passing game, the 2017 Chiefs will only be a contender if they continue to play good defense and, on offense, they get back to running the football effectively.
We could spend an entire piece on the topic of whether or not the Chiefs can maintain their defensive prowess in 2017, but today I’d rather talk about the often overlooked (at least this offseason) aspect of the Chiefs offense: the running game.
When Andy Reid came to Kansas City, we were all warned to kiss our running game goodbye. This was a coach that didn’t care about running the football at all. “He lives and dies by the pass,” we were told. The funny thing is, that didn’t end up being the case in Kansas City. Maybe he learned from his past experiences. Maybe he just designed the Chiefs offense around what he saw as their strengths. Whatever the case, in his first three years in Kansas City, Andy Reid had very good rushing attacks. In all three of those seasons the Chiefs finished in the top ten (often top five) in rushing yards per game, yards per carry, and touchdowns. Then came the 2016 season and the Chiefs dropped out of the top ten in all three of those categories.
A simple glance at the rushing stats during the Reid era allows you to see the clear decline last season.
2013: 442 attempts, 2,056 yards, 4.7 YPC, 17 TDs
2014: 420 attempts, 1,918 yards, 4.6 YPC, 18 TDs
2015: 436 attempts, 2,044 yards, 4.7 YPC, 19 TDs
2016: 412 attempts, 1,748 yards, 4.2 YPC, 15 TDs
Yes, you can see a drop off there. Maybe you’re thinking, “Eh, they just had a down year. I’m not too worried.” The problem is, those numbers don’t show just how much less effective the Chiefs really were. Let’s dig into those numbers a little.