House of ‘Cards’: Poor Performance
Highlights Offensive Holes
by Ransom Hawthorne | November 18, 2018
I’ve seen a lot of platitudes, surrounding the Arizona Cardinals game.
- “A win is a win.”
- “Chiefs avoided the trap game, which they weren’t able to do in the past.”
That’s all well and good, but if we’re able to accept the loss, to the Pats, as a moral victory, we have to accept this win as a moral loss. Let’s face it, the Chiefs defense is largely responsible for this win, and that’s not so much due to their prowess, as the Cardinals general ineptitude. If fans want to see K.C. win the division, and make the playoffs, this game was encouraging. For those with championship aspirations, this game was a gut punch. Fortunately, not all is lost, the Chiefs can return to contender status with a few tweaks this year, and some more significant moves, in the off-season.
Big Fish: at this point, we know who LT Eric Fisher is. He’s an elite run blocking left tackle and a league average pass-blocker. Between James Harrison, and Chandler Jones, it’s become abundantly clear that Fisher struggles with bigger pass rushers, and has shown no sign of improvement. For now, the Chiefs can solve that by sending help his way, with chips, extra blockers, and shifting the pocket. That said, it’s time to start looking for a new LT. You can’t have Mahomes getting clobbered every other snap and expect the offense to succeed.
Depending on how much he rises, after the combine, Andre Dillard, of Washington state could prove to be a solid replacement for Fisher. Granted it may take him a season to get NFL strong. Dillard may never be the same run blocker Fish is, but the NFL is a passing league, and I think, Dillard will eventually be better than Fisher, in that role.
Morse Code and Doctor Longshot: the Chiefs OL injuries finally caught up with them. Austin Reiter was getting manhandled all game, and that’s not about to get better against Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Andrew Wylie had his share of struggles as well. Morse should be coming back from a concussion any time now, but the Chiefs desperately need him to stay healthy. If he’s ready to go against the Rams, he should start, but K.C. might be wise to save him for the playoffs, after that. LDT’s injury turned out to be more serious than initially thought, but the Chiefs still believe he could be back, for the playoffs. If that’s at all possible, it would be great. The OL has played a huge role in their success, this season, and they need it back to 100%.
Veach foresaw the importance of OL depth, which is one reason they aren’t in even worse shape. McKenzie should provide solid depth, at the guard spot, next year, but a new Offensive Center needs to be a major priority. Jordan Devey should be brought back, and a new player drafted. Jesse Burkett, of Stanford, would be my first choice. While there are other players who are more physically dominant, Burkett is a very smart player, and can help Mahomes with the protections, in much the same way that Morse did.
Receiver Depth: Few teams have a trio like Kelce, Hill and Watkins. The trouble for Chiefs is, their depth, behind those guys isn’t great, and the offense has looked significantly more mortal when Watkins doesn’t play. At the moment, there’s not much Chiefs can do, to fix this. Conleyy and Robinson are pretty much what they’ve got, and Kemp is really just a STs guy, at this point.
Next year, though, Chiefs should make a major effort to add weapons on offense. This might sound crazy with all their needs on defense, but let’s face it, the offense is generally the one winning games, and Chiefs need to make sure that continues. While this draft has a number of TEs I like, including Zach Gentry, Chiefs will be an attractive destination, on offense, in free agency. The Raiders a dumpster fire, and Jared Cook is a free agent next year, Shouldn’t be too hard to pry him away and he’d provide an immediate upgrade from Demetrius Harris and a viable target, in the passing game. At WR, Chiefs have Byron Pringle coming back, next year, but should probably take a shot on a WR, in the draft. They could go for a guy with big upside, but motivational issues in Missouri WR Emmanuel Hall. Personally, I’d give serious consideration, in the 2nd round, to Collin Johnson, of Texas. At 6’5”, he’s a size speed mismatch and a true possession receiver that could boost Chiefs’ success, in the red zone.
Receiving RB: Kareem Hunt is the best in the NFL, at what he does, and Spencer Ware has been solid depth, this year. Darrel Williams should provide that, next year. That said, the Chiefs lack a dangerous receiving RB. Not a guy who can catch the ball in the flat, but a true route runner. The Patriots have made a living off of those types and it can make your offense that much more dangerous.
Now those guys don’t grow on trees, but If Chiefs decide it’s worth the investment, they could go big in the draft and take Stanford’s Bryce Love, or take a shot on some later round options in TCU’s Kavontae Turpin, or Virginia’s Olamide Zaccheaus. Barring that, perhaps they could convince Philadelphia’s Darren Sproles that he’s better off in KC (Sproles is a 2019 FA), after all he went to Kansas State .
Unless the Chiefs get rid of Sutton, I don’t see the value in throwing all of their resources at the defense, again. NFL rules are slanted, more and more, towards the offense, so that’s where Chiefs should invest. That’s not to say they should ignore the defense entirely. After all, Chiefs need interior DL depth, and the 2019 draft will be flush with it. Still, keeping this offense among the greatest of all time, should be a major priority. Go Chiefs.
Ransome Hawthorne – ArrowheadOne
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