Chiefs Offensive Line Got Owned, But the Chiefs Still Own the Raiders (Luckily): Part I
David Bell
Too many times on Monday Night Football this week, the Chiefs Offensive Line was bullied and sullied by the Raiders Defensive Front Seven. I will grant you that they played better from about 2/3 of the way through the 2nd Quarter and, for the most part, the second half, but it was not the same Offensive Line that dominated the Buccaneers just one week earlier. It was not a performance of an Offensive Line for a championship team.
Defensive Sidebar: I want to rant and rave about DC Steve Spagnuolo’s usage of players, but that really will be a separate article. What I liked was seeing George Karlaftis get his first sack. However, I wouldn’t say I liked the bet Spags made about putting Rashad Fenton on an Island when he was covering top-level WR Davante Adams. Spags knew that the Raiders offense goes through two players for almost half of their offense: WR Davante Adams and RB Josh Jacobs. True, Spags was using players that were not top talent, with both Willie Gay and Trent McDuffie MIA. Still, Spags put the wrong people in place and expected top-level coverage. Just Stop It! One of the worst officiating calls by Carl Cheffers was made when he called a roughing the passer penalty on Chris Jones. Clearly, this was an awful call. Cheffer’s crew is one of the worst for making bad decisions and calling far to many penalties. The penalty against Jones was disgusting.
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On to my rants about the OL.
Rant #1 – The Chiefs Offensive Tackles
Where I am tonight — Tuesday — is still spewing swear words and spittle. This game was disgusting for a good portion of the first half and often enough in the second half. At the same time, the Chiefs fan-atics were ever-present:
Here we get to the meat of the matter: it’s a rant about our two OTs: Orlando Brown and Andrew Wylie! In the game against the Raiders, we witnessed a travesty to being a championship team member. The rest of the rant requires “Bleeps” and is meant for a mature audience, not ArrowheadOne. I guess I am down to insulting the fans who follow ArrowheadOne. My expletives are not allowed in this venue. Just imagine a string of curse words, and you will essentially know what I was yelling at the video display of this game on ESPN.
I am ranting mostly about –> the Chief’s Offensive Line. More specifically, about LT Orlando Brown and RT Andrew Wylie. I have been bragging about Wylie due to his work in Tampa Bay, but he was owned, bullied, besmirched, and basically beaten by the pass-rushers of the Raiders.
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What’s worse? Orlando Brown’s confusing and clownish collection of pass protection plays we’re uncertain about. It was like he was practicing to be the Statue of Liberty. The pass rushers beat their way around him and through him. My rant includes a call to Brett Veach to bring back Eric Fisher, somehow, some way. He was not a great player as a LOT. However, Fish was solid in his approach to blocking for Patrick Mahomes. OBJr has no been. Whichever way it goes, presuming that Fish is in football-playing shape, I would like to see Eric brought back to the fold. The Orlando Brown Experience is purely too frustrating for fans. Put him at the left if Fish can go and move OB Jr. to the ROT role. Wylie is a solid depth player, but this game proved who he truly is.
There is a plus side to Brown. He is not an awful LOT. Our expectations are probably out of kilter. I am probably guilty of having developed a bad attitude about his play… certainly, I am not on his side regarding his self-assessment and salary demands. Here’s a view of one of Brown’s successes!
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Rant #2 – Where is Lucas Niang?
Where is Lucas Niang in his recovery and rehab? Fans need to understand what is going on with Lucas Niang. After this game, getting Niang back is becoming increasingly important. For fans, it’s important to know there is hope for him getting back on the grass. Indeed, he wasn’t a great ROT last year, but he had shown progress as the season rolled along. Then a tragic injury occurred when Trey Smith was knocked off his feet and slammed onto Niang’s knee. Ouch. I can feel the pain from almost a year ago… but where are you, buddy? We need you, Lucas!
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Rant #3: The Coaching Staff
We all — Fans and Pundits — have had moments where head-scratching is furious. I will go out on a limb here and criticize Andy Reid’s play-calling, especially in the first half. The play mix appeared to disregard what the game against the Buccaneers should have taught. Further, near the end of the half, the play-calling seemed to be obtuse [annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand what’s really going on]. Clearly, I do not understand why the plays were a miss-mash.
One thing that is likely suspect is how linemen get on a roll. If a single facet of the game was most affected by play-calling, the effect on the offensive line was obvious. They were reacting due to that and not dominating the LoS. The offense cannot get on a roll if the plays do not lend themselves to success. Failure to sequence plays was part of the problem. Maybe here is where missing Trey Smith was felt the most. A simple pancake block that Smith is known for would have been monumentally explosiveness and Copernican. Think about how it was last week versus Tampa Bay.
In the second half, Jerick McKinnon’s break-away run for 30-yards was something that finally stimulated the offense. That was a determined, strong run by Jerick, and the crowd erupted! In our homes, fans also cheered loud enough to be able to hear the folks next door.
Tomorrow I will go through the game tape to see what I see in a detailed view of the game from the coach’s perspective. However, I know I’m not wrong about my impression of our Offensive Tackles. It was quite evident during the game as it played out. The result of their play nearly caused enough carnage that the Chiefs would have lost the game under normal circumstances. The things that got in the way of the Raiders were themselves in the end. First, a significant play was nullified when Adams and Hunter Renfrow collided with one another. That play was a likely TD throw, but failed because of the collision. The second thing that probably lost the game was rookie HC Josh McDaniels going for two at the end of the game – to win it. He returned to Josh Jacobs, who was stuffed on the play by the Chiefs.
I am not sure it was a bad call by HC McDaniel — Jacobs ran for 197 yards on the night. Still, the PAT was prevented. That was the final difference in the game. The Chiefs win a game they probably deserved to lose, save the heroics of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Maybe the Chiefs OTs got owned, but Patrick Mahomes continues his MVP trajectory, and the Chiefs, oddly enough, still own the Raiders.
PS: The Chiefs can split with both the Chargers and the Raiders. If they win out against the Broncos, they win the AFC West.
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This is Part One of my look at the offensive line.
Part two will come after a detailed look at the game film.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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