Chiefs vs. Patriots: Spencer Ware, Tanoh Kpassagnon among overlooked angles
By Matt Conner
An uninspired backfield
Speaking of running backs, where in the world is any sort of spark here?
Perhaps this isn’t quite as overlooked because many of us have been missing Kareem Hunt‘s presence on the field more than ever these days— with many waking up to the realization that the patchwork job in the backfield hasn’t exactly made us forget what it’s like to have even one steady productive presence on the depth chart.
In the wake of Hunt’s exit, we’ve yet to see the 2018 version of Damien Williams, the leap forward from Darrel Williams, the elusive ability of LeSean McCoy (at least not without an attachment to fumbles), or the hidden gem that will supposedly emerge named Darwin Thompson. You can blame injuries or lack of opportunity for all of this, but what no one is saying out loud (or loud enough) is that this committee approach isn’t working the way we hoped.
McCoy led the Chiefs with 39 rushing yards on Sunday against the Patriots with an unhealthy 3.5 yards/carry average.From there, it only gets worse, however. Ware returned to put up 2.2 yards/carry. Thompson had a pitiful 1.8 average. Even two rushes from Tyreek Hill went for only 8 yards.
Credit the New England defense for putting up a very solid effort against the Chiefs, but this team needs to run the football better or find someone healthy enough to take over.
Tanoh Kpassagnon
Before this season began, Tanoh Kpassagnon was a developmental pass rusher hoping to break out under the tutelage of a new defensive coaching staff. The Chiefs had invested a second round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft in order to take advantage of the incredible length and athleticism offered by the Villanova product.
Nearly all the way into a new season and Kpassagnon has developed exactly as hoped. It’s a wonderful subplot taking place throughout the season that Kpassagnon has been such a nice rotational pass rusher at times. A part-time player, he’s still making his presence felt at key points with 9 quarterback hits, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 26 total tackles. He’s proven himself diverse along the line and able to start in a pinch in case of injury (as he did for Alex Okafor).
In addition, Kpassagnon is proving to be a special teams terror with blocked kicks in consecutive weeks. As he continues to grow with more playing time, it’s likely he could force Okafor out of the starting lineup as a starting end opposite Frank Clark. At the very least, the fact that a player like Kpassagnon can make coaching decisions for playing time more difficult is a good problem to have.