Joe Thuney's left tackle shift is looking more impressive for Chiefs

What a legacy!

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs
AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs | Perry Knotts/GettyImages

When the Kansas City Chiefs announced that D.J. Humphries was going to be inactive against the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 15—a special Christmas Day game broadcast on Netflix—the team had already leaned on three options at left tackle to that point. At the time, some assumed it might yield further playing time for Wanya Morris while others surmised that Joe Thuney might get a shot.

As it turned out, Thuney did get the nod that day, which meant sliding over one spot from his long-term role as the team's left guard to make way for Mike Caliendo in his place.

While that might have been a surprise to come, it's been even more startling to see Thuney fail to relinquish that role as the season concluded and even into the postseason. As Thuney has gotten more comfortable in the position, clearly the same is true for the team's comfort with Thuney manning the role. Most importantly, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has felt more secure in the pocket and is playing his best football of the season.

While it stands to reason that a player would get better with playing time, Thuney has practiced and played at the position before, and he's already known as an elite lineman. However, his time outside is leading to more impressive play week after week as he learns the position. That's even true in the face of stiff competition.

Take, for instance, Thuney's performance in the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills. One week after facing the pass-rushing tandem of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, the Chiefs' offensive front again had its hands full against Gregory Rousseau, Von Miller, and company. Amazingly, Thuney handled himself as well as some of the NFL's best at the position:

In case that post isn't working for you, Pro Football Focus found that five linemen from the weekend's slate of conference championships held the opposition to zero quarterback pressures. It's a Who's Who of elite NFL linemen including Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson from the other team in the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles. And together with Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Thuney was one of them.

For Thuney to learn how to lock down the left side going forward at such a high level so deep into the NFL postseason, it's another impressive achievement in a body of work that's going to merit consideration in Canton one day. Here's hoping he has one more lockdown effort in him on the left side.

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