The Chiefs Biggest Test:
Beating Seattle on the Road
by Ransom Hawthorne | December 20, 2018
After a disappointing finish against the Los Angeles Chargers, it’s easy to get discouraged. Everything the Kansas City Chiefs have done this year pointed to a team that is different. A team that won’t crumble come playoff time. A year’s worth of goodwill, faith, and hope, gone up in smoke, as many fans now doubt the Chiefs can go the distance. All of that can change though. K.C. can still control their destiny, and they can make that Thursday Night hiccup look like an anomaly rather than a portent. It all starts with beating the Seattle Seahawks, on the road, this week. Here’s how they can do it:
Run The Ball: Passing, by any metric is more efficient than running, but when you sport the league’s worst defense, it might be a good idea to give them a breather. More importantly, with Chiefs OL sagging, from injuries, the run game can help slow the opposing pass rush enough to give Mahomes a fighting chance. Perhaps most critically, Seattle tends to struggle against teams who rush well. This year, against opponents who rushed for 94 or more yards, Seattle is 2-5. In the rest of their games, they were 6-1. If Chiefs can queue up some clock killing, pass-rush slowing, crowd quieting drives, it’ll go a long way towards securing the win. Seattle ranks 28th, in the NFL, with 4.9 yards allowed per carry. Don’t get cute Reid. Get the win.
Score, Score, Score: This year, Seattle is 1-5 against opponents who score 25, or more, points. While their OL is improving, the Seahawks still have to rely heavily on their run game to get it done. If Chiefs can score enough to force them to pass the ball, they may struggle to keep up. That won’t be easy, as Seattle ranks 7th in scoring defense, but it’s the sort of thing the (likely) league MVP, Patrick Mahomes, should be able to pull off. Seattle is good, but they’re not Baltimore. I don’t see them being the first team to hold KC under 26.
Play Special Teams: STs have been a low key problem recently, for the Chiefs. Missed kicks and untimely penalties, those things can kill in close games. In their 7th worst performances, on STs, they went 2-5. Dave Toub may be an assistant head coach, but if he ever wants to drop the assistant part of his title, he needs his units to perform: when it counts. Since this Sunday is the biggest game of the season, they need to show up.
Play Berry Well: the Chiefs have the talent to win this game, boasting one of the best pass rushes in the entire NFL. Seattle’s offense can’t hold a candle to the Chargers. Tyler Lockett has 800 yards receiving. Nobody else, on the team has even 500. They’ve been able to do some damage in the run game, but they’ll be down to their 3rd string RG, which is not a spot you want to be in, against Chris Jones. I’d like to say that Sutton needs to be able to scheme against a team with plenty of weaknesses, but, frankly, I have zero faith in him to do so and wish he’d been fired years ago. At the end of the day, Chiefs have to have Eric Berry on the field. He’s the only guy out there who seems to know what the bleep is going on. When Berry plays, the defense is coached competently. If he has to sit out another half, Chiefs could be in serious trouble.
Bottom Line: the list of things the Chiefs need to do isn’t particularly hard. What’s more, they’ve had a few extra days to prepare, and there’s no excuse for complacency, as they’re just coming off a loss. Run the ball, score points, play STs, and be adequate on defense. Anything less, and you’ll lose more than just the game. You’ll lose fans’ interest. We’ve watched too many playoff flops to get excited for another one. Show up now, or don’t be surprised when fans don’t show up later. This is the biggest game of the season. Don’t screw this up. Go Chiefs.
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