Broken: Chiefs Offense Could Draw Competition Committee’s Attention – Football is the biggest player in the entertainment industry. It is the gold standard, must watch television, a game that’s more than a game. The league’s struggles with rabid fan bases, personal conduct policies and health and safety issues are well documented, and high profile. Perhaps the biggest reason they’ve stayed on top, however, has nothing to do with those. It’s all about the rules committee and the subtle adjustments that make the game more watchable. Up until recently, most of those adjustments have come at the expense of the defense. If, however, the Chiefs continue, on their current tack, they may follow in the footsteps of teams, like the 2013 Seattle Seahawks, who forced the league to make rule adjustments, in the name of competitive fairness. A couple of recent trail blazers show us just how willing the league has been to make drastic alterations, and provide clues as to what steps they may take, in the next several years, to curtail an out of control offensive juggernaut.
The Legion Of Boom
NFL golden boy, Peyton Manning, was finally going to do it. He was going to win the 2nd Super Bowl that had long eluded him. Denver was an offensive force, smashing records, and rival teams, en route to a clash with a 2013 Seattle defense, whose secondary was nicknamed the Legion of Boom. Nothing went as planned. After starting the game, with a fumble leading to a safety, Manning a co. were never able to fully recover, or gain any significant momentum. The NFL’s best, most exciting offense, had died with a whimper, on it’s biggest stage 43-8. Since most fans like offense, the NFL was concerned by this result. The competition committee instructed officials to emphasize illegal contact penalties. This made press coverage much harder to run, and, consequently, favored veteran QBs who could pick zone defenses apart, more easily.
The “Full Weight” of Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
In 2017, few teams were as exciting as the Green Bay Packers, with Aaron Rogers and few teams were as dull as those same Packers, without him. Rogers suffered a severe injury, in week six, when Vikings LB, Anthony Barr, landed on him, with his full weight. While I had a hard time tracking down the ratings data, to see just how much Rogers’ absence affected viewership, there can be little doubt that casual fans weren’t tuning in to watch Brett Hundley sling the rock. Action came, once again, in the off-season. The language, in the roughing the passer rule, was changed, making defensive players go to great lengths to protect the quarterback. The laws of physics are largely ignored, as players are required to not land, with their full body weight, on the QB. A significant change that saw backlash from the fans, but remains in place. The NFL is there to make money, and the QBs bring it in. Don’t expect this rule to go away.
Chiefs Full Potential a Serious Problem?
Look, the league loves offense, and they love Patrick Mahomes, but there will be a breaking point. Enough fans exist, who appreciate defense, that a downright unstoppable offense would be a headache, for the league. Chiefs production has been legendary, but every fan knows, they’re only scratching the surface. Tyreek Hill, Eric Fisher, and Damien Williams were all sidelined for Chiefs drubbing of the Ravens. A drubbing it was, even if Reid putting the offense in cruise control, for the 2nd half, and Spagnuolo letting Harbaugh run the ball, and the clock, made it look close.
The true essence, of the Chiefs offense, is what you saw, week one, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in the first quarter: 17 points scored, 225 yards of offense and no picks. Spread over a game, that’d be 68 points and 900 yards. Spread over a season, that’d be 128 touchdowns, and 14,400 yards. That would be more yards, and touchdowns, than the Chiefs and the Rams put up, last year, combined. There are reasons best case scenarios, like that, don’t happen, but even coming close, a few seasons in a row, will make the NFL start to consider what must be done to level the playing field. The bad ratings, for the most recent Super Bowl, show fan fatigue, with the Patriots. Chiefs are beloved now, but a couple dominant seasons could change that, and quick. Maybe dialing back, in the second half, isn’t such a bad idea after all.
If the league does decide that Chiefs’ offense is a problem, there are a couple of ways they can deal with it. Chiefs tend to have longer developing plays, so emphasizing offensive holding would likely hurt them more, than other teams, who get the ball out quick. The NFL could also decide to dial back their changes to press coverage. The few teams who successfully slowed the Chiefs, did so, largely, by playing physical, off the line, and having officiating crews that let them do it. A final way that the league could tackle Chiefs’ offense is to make more rigid rules about pre-snap motion. Chiefs have used players like Hill, and Hardman, to confuse defenses with motion, especially late. The league could limit the amount of motion that teams can run, or the range of that motion.
Conclusion
Kansas City’s offense is a boon to the NFL, right now. Mahomes is the most exciting thing on television. If, however, the theatrics become commonplace, and the game ceases to be competitive, don’t think that NFL will totally ignore it. In a sense, Chiefs may be extended their run of offensive dominance, without league interference, by allowing teams to come back late. By no means is this their intention. Andy Reid, for years, has closed the playbook with large leads, but it is a fringe benefit of an, otherwise, irritating habit. Chiefs must continue to win their games, and also a Super Bowl, preferably, without rising to the level of the 2013 Seahawks. The only thing that could stop this offense, from crushing every record there is, is the competition committee. Let’s hope they leave well enough alone. Go Chiefs.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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