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Offensive line, secondary hold keys to Chiefs’ success against Bills

By Kelly Thompson

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 13: Stefon Diggs #14 and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 13, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 13: Stefon Diggs #14 and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 13, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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Eric Fisher, Kansas City Chiefs
Eric Fisher, Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Offensive line must improve

Of all the poor play that we saw on Sunday afternoon, what stood out as the most alarming—not the worst, since that title belongs to the secondary—moving forward was the play of the offensive line.

Entering the season, we all knew that the interior offensive line was not excellent and may struggle against some of the stronger defensive lines in the league. The team had, quite simply, learned to deal with middling center and guard play. In Week One, it appeared that the team has solved some of that issue with the late free agent snag of Keleche Osemele. Unfortunately, he is out for the season with torn knee tendons.

The interior was easier to handle given the presence of one of the better tackle tandems in football. That has absolutely not been the case this season, especially so against the Raiders. At left tackle, Eric Fisher looked more like the 2013 rookie version of himself (read: bad) than he did a savvy veteran. At his peak, the former number one overall draft pick was a Pro Bowl caliber tackle. The Chiefs need him to regain that form and fast. What is more unsettling is that Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City’s All-Pro right tackle, appears to have regressed at an even faster rate than Fisher.

There are no reserves coming at tackle this season. Teams don’t trade starting tackles mid-season, and there are not free agents who would represent upgrades. The only player in the organization the team has planned to use in place of either Fisher or Schwartz is third round pick Lucas Niang. Not only is Niang not ready to take over, he’s also out this season on the COVID opt-out list.

The Bills possess a good pass rush and a litany of quality players. Kansas City must slow them down to give Mahomes a chance to make magic. If they cannot, it’ll be a long Monday evening in Buffalo.

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