Emmanuel Ogbah is good and other Chiefs lessons learned from Week 3

From the pass rushing prowess of Emmanuel Ogbah to the hidden potential of Darrel Williams, here are the lessons learned about the Chiefs in Week 3.

Is week 3 too early to start looking at the MVP race? The fans at Arrowhead Stadium did not seem to think so as they showered quarterback Patrick Mahomes with “MVP” chants any time he touched the ball. The Kansas City faithful actually showered almost every player in adoration as the boys in red took down Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens by a final score of  33-28 in the team’s home opener on Sunday.

There are plenty of storylines from this game. Mahomes seemed to forget he was on the injury report, Demarcus Robinson put up a catch of the year candidate. Mecole Hardman continues to be much more then a Tyreek Hill replacement. Andy Reid now has the sixth most wins among all NFL head coaches ever. Tyrann Mathieu was involved on nearly every play he could be, Steve Spagnoulo seemed comfortable for the first time.

Let’s take a look at the lessons learned in Week 3 and what they tell us moving forward.

Chiefs have a talented backfield

The Kansas City Chiefs running back room is getting crowded. Damien Williams, Darrell Williams, Lesean McCoy, and Darwin Thompson all have a spot on the running back by committee system that Andy Reid has been utilizing this season. It’s a far cry from last season’s premium back system that relied on Kareem Hunt and then Damien Williams after Hunt’s release.

This committee has plenty of perks, since fresh legs are almost always available. Opponents also have to game plan around four different running backs and styles, each with various skills that open up many more options on the play-calling sheet. Arguably the most important perk, however, is the system’s ability to help teams overcome injuries, a perk Kansas City was able to enjoy during Sunday’s game.

Damien Williams, the running back at the head of the depth chart, injured his knee in Kansas City’s victory over the Raiders in Week 2. Williams was not the only casualty to the dirt field, as LeSean McCoy messed up his ankle as well. The difference, however, being Williams was forced to miss the Ravens game while McCoy did not.

Looking at the box score, however, you would never realize the Chiefs were missing their number one back. Darrel Williams actually ended up being the one to lead the team in rushing yards with 62 yards, not to mention an additional 47 yards receiving. Following closely behind him was McCoy, who ran for 54 yards and earned another 26 receiving, but more impressively ended up with two touchdowns.

In total, Kansas City rushed for 140 yards and scored 1 rushing touchdown for a robust 5.4 yards/carry, which is far more than a team without their number one running back should have. This opens up Kansas City’s playbook moving forward, but also allows for flexibility at the position.