Fast starts are key to Kansas City Chiefs success in 2018
The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten off to great starts on offense and defense in just about every game this year, which sets the tone for their games.
The Kansas City Chiefs have hardly played from behind in a lot of their games this season. With an 8-1 record, that alone is telling that the Chiefs mostly play with the lead. Outside of the first meeting against Denver and against the New England Patriots, the Chiefs have never played from behind in any of their games.
The Chiefs have yet to lose a coin toss this season, always deferring and allowing teams to receive the football to start things off. In fact, the Chiefs have won the coin toss for 12 consecutive regular season games, dating back to last year, according to The Kansas City Star.
Although Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has taken a lot of criticism for the team’s performance, he and the defense deserve a lot of credit for their early starts.
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Among the nine games played so far this season, the Chiefs have not allowed a touchdown on an opening drive. In fact, the only score allowed was a field goal in Week 4 when the Chiefs visited the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Outside of that, Kansas City’s defense has forced a three-and-out in five games while forcing punts on short drive in two others. The only time where the Chiefs could not force a punt was against the New England Patriots earlier this year on Sunday Night Football in Week 6 when the Patriots turned the ball over on downs.
Considering the Chiefs always get possession second, this is impressive. Not allowing a score while the offense scores on their opening drive can help set the tone for a game for the Chiefs.
As for the offense, it has been opportunistic and has taken advantage of the defense not allowing a touchdown on an opening drive this year. The Chiefs have scored a touchdown or a field goal in every game except for Week 8 against Denver at home, where the Chiefs had a three-and-out.
In eight of the nine opening drives for the Chiefs, they have six touchdowns and two field goals. This includes Week 1, where Tyreek Hill ran the first punt of the game back for a touchdown. The Chiefs offense still scored a touchdown on their first drive in that game.
CBS’ broadcast team pointed out during the game against the Browns that the Chiefs have scored a total of 48 points in the first quarter in nine games this year, which is the best in the NFL.
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Kansas City’s defense has been inconsistent, but it deserves a lot of credit for not allowing a score early because it has helped set the tone in eight of their nine games, resulting in a win. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid deserves a lot of credit for this as he trusts the defense to get off to a good start, allowing the offense to come in with no pressure, not having to play from behind in most of their games.