Laddie Morse
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the National Football League. Period. We all know that here in Kansas City. Others, outside of K.C., may doubt that, but we know, it’s Mahomes for MVP. Consequently, it’s not surprise to me that the newest strength of the team has a great deal to do with his passing ability. Sure, we’ve known for some time now that the Tight Ends and larger receivers like JuJu Smith Schuster and Justin Watson have played right into Mahomes success, but this doesn’t have to do with TEs.
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The newest strength of the Chiefs offense has to do with the running backs catching the ball out of the backfield.
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Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon
Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon are the main reasons for this uptick in receiving yards by the Chiefs RBs.
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As you can see, the first three weeks of the season, K.C. averaged 48 yards receiving per game while the last three games they’ve averaged 93 receiving yards per game. While opposing teams may already know about this pattern in the upsurge of receiving yards by the Chiefs running backs, it certainly forces teams to cover the field wider, which is hard to do when you have speedy WRs who are forcing their Safeties to cover the Chiefs offense deep.
In fact, Jerick McKinnon was the leading receiver for the Chiefs in the game against the Broncos with 112 yards receiving. If you want my prediction for the game this coming week against the Broncos, it is that Jerick McKinnon will again break the 100 receiving barrier.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
I’ve been a supporter of Clyde Edwards-Helaire (CEH) ever since he came to the Chiefs. Many fans have bailed on him and believed we should expect more from a first round pick. While it’s hard to argue with any of that, he simply hasn’t produced in the one area that many of us believed he would, and that’s in the receiving department. Although CEH had 453 receiving yards in his last year at LSU, his average receiving yards per game was only 30 during his last year there. This season, for the Chiefs, he’s played in 10 games and accounted for 151 receiving yards. Obviously — doing the math — he’s averaged 15 receiving yards per game this season.
Looking beyond that, CEH has averaged 17 receiving yards over his three year career with the Chiefs. By comparison, Jerick McKinnon has averaged 30 yards receiving per game this season.
Maybe fans are expecting CEH to be a rush-heavy running back (he’s averaged 49 rush yards per game over three season), but his real value to the Chiefs — and Patrick Mahomes — comes as a potential receiver. Which, he hasn’t been of much help in that department in his three season with the Chiefs. That’s the main reason I’d expect the Chiefs to move on from him once this season is finalized.
Patrick Mahomes
Let’s not get things twisted, Patrick Mahomes is the star of this offense and the face of the NFL. From a passing yards standpoint, Mahomes leads the league with 4,720 plus, beyond that, he’s second on the Chiefs in rushing as Isiah Pacheco has 735 (Patrick has 331).
It’s often thought that to make the passing game work you must run the ball and to make the running game work you must pass the ball. What the Chiefs are now doing extremely well is throwing the ball to their running backs. Using the flats to get his RBs out in space is not only good for them, but it has given Patrick Mahomes the right amount of relief valves he needs to sustain drives and keep overly aggressive Defensive Linemen and Defensive Linebackers off of him. Using his running backs in this way, not only helps Mahomes but it has to drive opposing DC’s crazy.
Tight Ends
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With Blake Bell returning to action soon, Andy Reid can return to his use of three tight end sets in his offense. Whether its’ “trips-right” or “trips-left” which could also include a WR in the mix, it gives Reid another way to stretch and confuse the defenses he faces. Also, let’s not diminish the positive effects that having three huge humans, like TEs, on the field can have on the running game.
With the RBs as WRs a possibility and the three TE sets, all ramping up in time for the playoffs, Andy Reid should have more tricks up his scheming sleeves.
Finally
Andy Reid likes to put pressure on defenses by forcing defenders — as well as DC’s — to choose which of his playmaking skill players they’re going to cover. With Jerick McKinnon and Isaiah Pacheco coming out of the backfield, as well as JuJu Smith Schuester, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney as great mid-field options, and Justin Watson & Marquez Valdes-Scantling as a field stretchers, along with the exceptional space eating abilities of Travis Kelce… and the Chiefs offense is nearly impossible to corral.
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With the added ability to throw to his running backs out of the backfield, the Patrick Mahomes led offense will be a tough train to derail come playoff time… which… is only a couple of weeks away now. What dost thou thinkest?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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