Three wrinkles for the KC Chiefs to iron out against Bears

Short-yardage sensibility

For the last few years, Chiefs Kingdom has grown used to some theatrics at the goal line—or really in any situation calling for two yards or less on the offensive side of the ball. It's always fun when it works, and some of the most memorable plays of the last decade have arisen from such scenarios, but just as often (if not more), such short-yardage set-ups have also become a source of frustration. It's maddening to watch a team choose to do things the hard way.

The Chiefs have short-yardage problems and everyone knows it. Ever since Patrick Mahomes hurt his knee attempting to move the football a couple of yards, Andy Reid has been reticent to allow him to try it again. That's why we've seen shovel passes and gimmick plays and offensive linemen subbing in as eligible pass catchers on goal-line plays. It's also why we've seen painful decisions to punt and absolutely unnecessary trickery at the goal line with players running horizontally when only a couple of vertical yards are needed. It's also why we know the term "Belldozer".

Perhaps this is the most painful wrinkle of all that needs to be ironed out. As Coach D'Amato of the Miami Sharks impressed on us (Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday), football is a game of inches. Instead of "fighting for that inch," the Chiefs often put together an entire choreographed routine that ends up going nowhere out of fear of simply falling forward.

What makes the lack of short-yardage success so much more painful is that the Chiefs have the horses to get it done. Creed Humphrey is unrivaled as the best young center in the game. Joe Thuney finally earned the Pro Bowl nod that's eluded him for years in 2022. Trey Smith is the very definition of a mauler with a long future ahead of him in the NFL. And these men comprise the core of the offensive line.

Andy Reid is a playcalling genius whose brilliance has changed the way the game is played at the highest levels. That doesn't mean there's not a blind spot and we're all pointing at it week after week. It'd be nice to see the Chiefs just move the ball a yard or two from time to time—when they need it.