KC Chiefs expect to see Leonard Fournette featured in Super Bowl LV

The first time around, Leonard Fournette was a footnote. This time, the Kansas City Chiefs expect to see him front and center.

When the Chiefs played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time in 2020, back in Week 12, the Chiefs hardly saw Fournette on the field at all during their 27-24 road win at Raymond James Stadium. In that game, Fournette earned only 3 carries for 10 rushing yards with a longest run of 6 yards. He caught another three passes for another 10 receiving yards, giving him minimal production on limited reps.

The story of Fournette’s usage with the Bucs this season has been an odd tale, with the limited role against the likes of the Chiefs. Things got even worse (for Fournette) when he was a healthy scratch in Week 14 coming out of the Week 13 bye. In Week 15, Fournette looked as if he might turn the corner in the offense after earning 14 carries, his second-highest total of the season, to go with 5 targets, but the Bucs pulled the reins back once again to close out the calendar year by giving Fournette only 14 more carries in the final two games of the season.

Since the postseason began, however, Fournette is playing like a lead back with 48 carries for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns so far in three postseason games for the Bucs. He also has 14 catches for 108 receiving yards and another touchdown in that span, which means’s averaging 104 yards from scrimmage in this playoff run. That average is more than Fournette had in every game this season other than two performances, which means Bruce Arians is turning to the former LSU star when it matters most.

Earlier this week, Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was asked about how the Bucs offense has changed since their first meeting, and he mentioned Fournette as a notable alternation in what to expect going forward.

Leonard Fournette should be much more involved vs. Chiefs in Super Bowl.

"“I feel like a lot of their offense has changed. The first time around when we played them, they were featuring [Ronald] Jones at running back more than they were featuring Fournette. I think they’ve done an excellent job in that. Part of that is Fournette eventually picked up the offense a little bit better. He’s able to make catch and do things like that out of the backfield and he’s also a good pass blocker … I feel like they started leaning toward Leonard more because of his ability to pass block and also he’s just getting more comfortable. As you watch film, you see him getting more comfortable. They’re a Super Bowl caliber team and that’s why they’re here competing against us.”"

This season has hardly been what anyone could have expected from Fournette after he was signed in early September. However, he’s earning the yards when it matters most. With only 367 rushing yards on 97 carries during the 2020 regular season, Fournette likely thought this was a year to forget after being the star of the offensive up in Jacksonville. However, given the way the Bucs have come on late in the season, Fournette has a real chance to make an impression before this year is out just yet.