Peak Team Chiefs: Have We Seen It Yet?

Peak Team Chiefs: Have We Seen It Yet? – What I have been thinking about this week is just what do the Kansas City Chiefs look like when they’re playing… Peak Team Chiefs? Have we seen it yet? The ebb and flow of a game means that the responsibility for playing at a team’s peak requires the defense to be playing at it’s top form and for Special Teams, when their role is needed, to be the brunt of the team force. Last year during the playoffs, the Chiefs trailed the Texans 24-to-0 in the Playoffs and then… overcame that lead in a single quarter. In the first part of the game, several mistakes and flukes happened. In that single second quarter, we saw the Chiefs play peak team football. A friend in Houston said, when the Chiefs chalked up their first score: “The Chiefs are going to win the game. dang it.” They did.

In 2020 we’ve seen glimpses of things that give us examples of what is possible. When we discuss… what is it like when the Chiefs are burning rubber and playing their game for four full quarters… we’ve not seen it in action yet. Two things hit my mind when I wrote that:

1. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has had only “TWO” Interceptions in 11 games. That is “OUTSTANDING”!
2. In the game against the Bucs, the Chiefs had the lead. It came down to needing a first down to keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands. They went out and got that first down. The clock expired. Game over.

Just those two thoughts came into my awareness all at once. They tell me that the Chiefs have not come to full performance in all three facets of the game. In 2019, this happened as the Season closed. They were rolling and playing the game as hard as possible, with cohesiveness, Continuity and Verve.

Things That Must Come Together To Repeat

1. The offense needs to come out in the second half of games and score in the 3rd Quarter. Don’t let the opponent gain confidence. The offense must score and score often. I hope to see the Chiefs begin to approach or exceed the 40 PPG. It has that capability and personnel.
2. The Front Five big men need to be on the same page, every snap and Reid needs to mix plays so that the Offensive Line is taking the game to the opponent — Reid needs to keep defenses guessing and off their mark. We saw glimpses of this with a kluged together offensive line in the Buc’s game.
3. The Defense needs to heal up and get consistent. That is happening, but it does take time to get players back to their strong suit.
4. The LB’s continue to miss opportunities to make plays. That must change.

Those four things need to improve over the next five games. The Chiefs need to get momentum and roll into the playoffs and the “Vigorous Be Damned.”

Focus on Defense

The Chiefs Defense has had some real fallout 3 times this season, giving up over 30 points and losing a game giving up 40. There are key elements that have affected the defense all season, including injuries. I cannot say that the Chiefs expected to get what they have from various players such as Juan Thornhill and L’Jarius Sneed. I expected a lot and felt completely verified when Sneed came in and set up a scorched earth policy. Thornhill did the same for me last year. Missing both those players across many games had effect. Now both are back and should be max strength come January.

The injury to Alex Okafor was also a set back. He too is back… and so on. These injuries happen to every team, still the Chiefs are 10-and-1.

The Pass Rush

Many observers are commenting on the lack of “Sacks” as being a key reason that the defense has struggled. I too am inclined to find import in that statistic. More importantly, I see having players out of sync and missing “names” from the lineup as being a factor. It’s difficult to have cohesive play with missing parts. That is getting resolved as the team moves into the last five games of the season.

There’s an important link here: a good pass rush is what makes good defense in the secondary. It is what keeps the opposing Quarterback out of sync, where his footwork is disturbed, it makes his passes occur outside of his comfort zone. Sacks, Hits, Hurries: all affect the opposing Quarterback’s ability to hit his target. Or it causes him to move from target #1 to other alternates, due to close coverage.

I am confident that the pass rush will improve with Alex Okafor back and having both Frank Clark and Tanoh Kpassagnon in the mix. The late penalty against Frank Clark who was called for roughing the passer — a valid penalty — demonstrates some of the frustration that the players must be feeling. BTW, Okafor got half a sack last Sunday.

Here’s a take from Spagnuolo on the pass rush, which is at the forefront of the consideration of fans and pundits alike:

“I thought we were really good on third down this past week, so it got a little bit better. Every time they drop back to throw the football, we’re trying to affect the quarterback. It doesn’t have to be a sack. Everyone gets wrapped up in numbers and that’s the big number — but it’s more than that: it’s how we affect the quarterback.”

When he said this in a presser, it got me thinking that he understands what has been missing and that he sees it coming together.

Linebackers: A weakness

The keys to the linebacker play that I see as being part of the problem are framed by two observations.

1. The LB’s get “Rubbed” and do not get into the gap through which the RB is headed.
2. Neither of the LBs who are on the field in the Chiefs Nickel sets are able to defend the pass.
3. When Willie Gay is on the field, he is making stops, pursuing to the ball and is around it almost every play (something that Hitchens, Wilson and Niemann are unable to do, apparently).
4. If there is a single LB who has the speed to cover a receiver it is Willie Gay, Jr. The problem that I see is that on pass plays outside of a straight up defense, Gay is not on the field.

In terms of what contribution the linebackers are making, it falls within the responsibilities that is called for on each snap. That may be part of the problem. In the most recent 2 or 3 games, when watching film, Anthony Hitchens play has been a lot better — at least this is my impression. One of the difficulties that I see really comes to fore with Wilson missing plays, is due to his misreads and on pass defense, he is waiting too long to react to covering a RB out of the backfield. The same with taking on the Tight End crossing on a short route.

The Secondary

The Juan and Only Thornhill suffered a significant, season ending injury at the end of the 2019 season. They brought him back gradually. During the last game, his snaps dramatically increased. It appears that Juan is back to form and will now take on the major role of deep coverage that was anticipated of him. L’Jarius Sneed suffered a freaky collarbone fracture in week three. He was used as the Slot defender, or the 3rd “starter” when in the Nickel. He played well. Watching the game this past week tells me he is ready for full time work.

Having all the pieces to the puzzle is now set for the run downhill to the playoffs. The Chiefs are poised to enter post season with nearly all players healthy (aside from those whose season is over). This includes players on offense as well, such as Sammy Watkins or Martinas Rankin. The Chiefs also added back OG/OT Stefen Wisniewski which I regard as a positive signing. We all recognize the value he brought to the team late in 2019 and through the playoffs.

Back to the Start

Before the beginning of this season, I was wont to predict a perfect season. I settled on 14-2. It may be the Steelers perform well enough to obtain the single playoff Bye week, although I would like the Mahomes led Chiefs to achieve that status. No matter what though, it is important that Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy and Steve Spagnuolo get the team firing on all cylinders as it rolls into the playoffs. If the Chiefs win Sunday, they essentially clinch the division title — AGAIN. Finishing out strong in all phases of the game is the work that needs to be accomplished.

That would roast my toasties.

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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