The altitude in Mexico City took its toll on every player, but it entwined into a perfect storm to drag Eric Fisher into a lull from which he struggled to recover.
After missing almost nine games with a core muscle injury, Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher returned to the field on Monday night as the Chiefs clashed with the Chargers in an AFC West showdown. The Chiefs also welcomed back offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who had not played since his injury against Green Bay in Week 8. Kansas City was able to come home from Mexico City with the win (and a slim lead in the AFC West), but not without some questions on the offensive side of the ball.
Without two of their leaders on the offensive line, Kansas City has been forced to plug-and-play all over the line. The results have been less than stellar, as the Chiefs offense (also without key contributors at skill positions) has sputtered at times.
It was good for the Chiefs to get Fisher and Duvernay-Tardif back in the lineup. In the first half, it was easy to see on the field. The line looked much better overall and both players were a clear cut above the players who had attempted to replace them. Then came the second half. In Fisher’s case in particular, the results weren’t good at all. A solid first half gave way to a sorry second half.
Let’s look at the elements in place that likely contributed to making that happen.
The elevation
It’s important to remember that the linemen returned under unique circumstances, traveling to an international location at extreme altitude (7,382 feet). It’s fair to guess that for most of the roster, Mexico City was the highest elevation at which they had ever played a football game. It’s widely known that the thin air in the mountains contributes to fatigue—even more so than the altitude adjustments experienced playing in Denver every season (5,280 feet).
Impressively, both Fisher and Duvernay-Tardif logged 100% of the Chiefs’ snaps against the Chargers in their returns to their respective positions.
The competition
Fortunately for both Fisher and Duvernay-Tardif, the first half graded out well for both players, which is even more impressive when you consider the caliber of competition. Los Angeles pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, each a top-60 member of the NFL’s Top 100 in 2019, rotated healthily between the left and right sides of the defensive line. Duvernay-Tardif frequently faced rookie first round defensive tackle Jerry Tillery.
The second half, at a glance, was not in any way good for Fisher. He struggled in the run game. He struggled against Ingram. He struggled against Bosa. There were times where Fisher flat-out got beat. That’s going to happen to most tackles when facing such a strong defensive line.
The game flow
The flow of the game is also a key element to the poor second-half results. Three of the Chargers’ drives in the second half ended after just three plays; another just four plays. The offense barely got a breather before taking the field again. The altitude of course began to take its toll on every player, but perhaps it entwined into a perfect storm with Fisher’s atrophy to drag him into a lull from which he struggled to recover.
LDT did not have any blatant mistakes in the game. He consistently held his own in the middle and was acceptable in the run game. At the same time, the Canadian Doctor was never highlight-reel good, like his hefty contract suggests he should be. But he certainly earned a passing grade.
Noting that the pendulum of play quality swings highest at the left tackle position (particularly for a team with a transcendent talent at quarterback coming off an injury), Fisher was under a much more microscopic lens than Duvernay-Tardif in this game. While the Pro Bowl left tackle’s second-half results were a disappointment, he gets a mulligan from me. I believe his overall poor outing in Mexico can be attributed to the elite competition, the altitude mixed with game flow, and the rust.
Chiefs Kingdom can expect a solid performance when the Chiefs host the Raiders on December 1st. A two-week break before a home game is just what Fisher and the rest of the banged-up Chiefs needed before hitting the home stretch in the conference race.