(Note: As with last week, during the season, this feature will be done with the help of the All-22 film provided by the NFL Game Pass app. However, for some reason, the All-22 film wasn’t available for this game, so it was done using broadcast footage. I’ll do my best to make it work.)
If I wrote about nothing else all season long, other than Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith slinging the ball to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and scoring touchdowns, I would be the happiest blogger you ever met. If you don’t think this first-team offense is clicking, you’re crazy. Smith is looking like a brand new quarterback. He’s going through reads, he’s airing out the ball, he’s throwing dimes, he’s doing all the things his haters have said he couldn’t do during his time in Kansas City.
I know it’s the preseason. I’ll temper my enthusiasm and get to the article.
This past preseason game, the Chiefs’ first team offense played nearly the entire first half of the game against the St. Louis Los Angeles (I’ll get used to it before the regular season, I promise) Rams. I say nearly, because after head coach Andy Reid watched his star quarterback take another sack, he decided enough was enough and pulled Smith out of the game. I say nearly because Jeremy Maclin was flagged for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game for fighting. I didn’t see a punch thrown. I saw him whisper something into the ear of Rams’ defense back Lamarcus Joyner. I personally think it was the recipe for his brisket dry rub…but that’s just me.
But before all this silliness ensued, the Chiefs’ No. 1’s put 17 points on the board. One touchdown was after a long drive and punched in by running back Spencer Ware. The second score was a money 20-yard pass from Smith to a wide-open Maclin in the middle of the field. Maclin then walked the ball across the end zone. That’s where we start this week’s piece.
As you can see, the Chiefs lined up in a weird bunch or tight formation. Second-year wide receiver Chris Conley was split out wide to the left with Maclin playing in the slot. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was on the right side of the line in a “heavy right” formation with receiver Albert Wilson lined up right off his right hip. From the looks of this formation, the Smith probably called the pass play, but could easily check into a run based on the defense. I say this because Smith had Ware in the backfield with him, lined up just to the right of him. This formation easily lends itself to either a run play or a pass. In this case, they chose a pass.
This is a rough diagram showing the route patterns each receiver takes as soon as the ball is snapped. You can see that Conley runs a five yard out and the hits the jets to take his defender completely out of the play. It appears that Ware runs a little five yard “buttonhook” and posts up at the 15-yard line. Kelce and Maclin have very interesting routes because it appears they both run a route known as a “sluggo.” The receiver runs a post, then a slant, then they go, man! (That sentence sounds better if you read it in ESPN commentator Jon Gruden’s voice. Just trying to help.) Kelce’s slant is towards the right and Maclin’s is towards the left. This whole play leaves some very confused defenders, as you’ll see.
As the play first begins to take shape, it’s pretty clear to me that Smith’s first read was actually Conley. You can see from this shot, the angle of Smith’s eyes show he immediately looks at Conley first as his primary receiving option. Though this still was literally take one second after the ball was snapped, it doesn’t take Smith long to realize his No. 1 option is going to be covered.
I’d like to pause the progression of this play for just a second to mention the offensive line. While they were definitely not as stout as they were in their first preseason showing in this game, when they were good, they were very good. This is one of those times. Look at the pocket that Smith has to work with. Every blocker is handling their assignment in textbook fashion. The pocket is perfectly set up around Smith. It’s amazing what can happen on the football field when a team has a good offensive line. Okay, back to the play.
From here, Smith has a solid pocket from which to pass from. He’s checked his first read and found it to be less than desirable. At this point, his vision shifts to his secondary read, which is Maclin. As Smith’s eyes move from Conley to Maclin, the Chiefs’ leading receiver from 2015 is in the process of finishing the “slant” part of “sluggo” and getting ready to go…man…sorry, couldn’t resist. Anyways, in doing that, and because Maclin is a precision route runner, he completely fools two Rams defenders into thinking that the other is going to continue to cover Maclin.
I want to note here that during the broadcast, NFL’s Andrew Sicilliano (who apparently doubles as the Rams’s home announcer during preseason) commented that it appeared to a be a busted coverage on the play, I don’t necessarily believe that to be the case. After watching the replay of Maclin’s move over 50 times, I think his sluggo route was so good that he completely faked out both Joyner and free safety Cody Davis. If you watch closely, Davis believes that Maclin will continue his slant, putting him into Joyner’s zone. However, when Maclin quick cuts up the field, this causes Davis to fall behind and chase Maclin.
As soon as Smith realized Maclin was breaking free he let the ball fly. It was perfectly placed, too. Had he led Maclin too much he could have potentially set his favorite receiver up for a big hit from strong safety T.J. McDonald coming along the goal line. As it was, there wasn’t a defender within three yards of Maclin when he caught the ball. That’s the definition of creating separation.
As you watch the play develop, you can see Smith move through his progression, the pocket form around him and the beautiful move that Maclin puts on the two unsuspecting Rams DBs. All in all, it was a perfect touchdown play and one I hope we get to see much more of in the coming weeks of the 2016 season.
Until next week, friends.