Before the 2016 season, everyone expected the Kansas City Chiefs offense to take a giant leap in production and be the unit that carried this Chiefs team to multiple wins and, hopefully, an AFC West division crown. Combining the facts that it is year four in the Andy Reid system for quarterback Alex Smith and all of the weapons surrounding him, this was the year that the scoreboard would light up with points thanks to the men in glorious red. But after two games, where the Chiefs offense has struggled mightily for about 100 minutes’ worth of game time, many are left scratching their heads as to what the problem is. Even though they struggled against the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs offense is not completely broken.
The Kansas City Chiefs Offense Is Not Completely Broken
The Offensive Line
The Chiefs offensive line is young, and growing pains are to be expected. When any team trots out an interior offensive line that has a combined 28 starts between the three of them, you know there will be missed assignments. The best way to remedy this is by gaining experience and trust in your fellow linemen, which is even harder to do now that starting guards Parker Ehringer and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif are missing game and practice time thanks to injuries. At left tackle, Eric Fisher had a very strong week one against the Chargers, even ranking as Pro Football Focus’ number one left tackle, but took a slide in week two. Fisher was still a strong player, but needs to be consistently better as the season progresses. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz struggled against the Texans, but did play very well against the Chargers. Does Schwartz get a pass because he was facing one of the best defensive players in the league in J.J. Watt?
After watching the All-22 tape for both of the games, the biggest weakness has clearly been with handling the stunts that speedy fronts are giving them. This is particularly alarming because of the defensive fronts the Chiefs will be playing during the remainder of the season; The New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos all have very fast front sevens on defense and will be bringing pressure any way they can. Those four teams comprise six of the Chiefs final 14 games. The offensive line has shown at times that they can pick up the stunts and the blitzes, they just need to do so more consistently.
The Wide Receivers
Jeremy Maclin is the Chiefs best wide receiver, there is zero question about that. Maclin is a great player who gives it his all on every single play, stands up for his teammates and is a leader in the locker room. He would be a fantastic presence in any of the 32 offenses in the NFL, but on this Chiefs roster, he can only do so much.
The rest of the wide receivers have been underwhelming. Chris Conley flashed during the preseason but has not produced in the regular season. Considering the amazing comeback in week one against the Chargers, one would expect Conley to have much bigger numbers. However, as it stands, Conley has only registered six catches for 58 yards. Conley was expected to be the clear cut number two receiver this season and he must produce more in order for the offense to be successful. Albert Wilson continues to show he is unreliable as an effective wide receiver. Wilson fails to create separation when running routes and does not make a strong effort to make difficult catches in the middle of the field or along the sideline.
After a review of the All-22 tape, it is very clear that the wide receivers are struggling. There are multiple times when the receivers fail to get any separation from the defensive backs, and if they do, many times it is minimal. With a conservative quarterback like Alex Smith, that is not good enough. One thing is clear, the Chiefs have to see improvement from their wide receivers if they want to score points. The running game has been somewhat successful, but that will start to falter if defenses turn their attention to stopping the run because of a lack of a threat from the passing game.
The Quarterback
Alex Smith is one of the most polarizing players in recent Chiefs memory. There is a large contingent of Chiefs fans who like Smith and what he brings to the table. On the other hand, there is a very large and very vocal group of fans who despise Smith and think he is ultimately the player that is holding the Chiefs back from reaching their true potential. Does Smith have his shortcomings? Absolutely. But it’s not all on the quarterback.
As noted already, the offense has struggled with stunts and blitz pickups. Combine that with receivers not getting separation when the pocket does hold up, and you have a recipe for disaster. This has resulted in Smith being sacked 7 times, which is tied for third most in the league. For some reason, it appears that Smith is not taking advantage of using his legs to gain yard, amassing only 17 yards over the first two games.
The Bright Spots
Well, the obvious is that the Chiefs are 1-1, with the one win being against a division rival. Travis Kelce continues to be a mismatch for opposing defenses and will continue to be a dominant force for the offense. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West have both performed well, particularly Ware. Tyreek Hill has shown incredible speed, and the hope is that Andy Reid will continue to incorporate him in to the offensive game plan, perhaps even taking reps from Albert Wilson in the slot. The biggest thing to remember is that Jamaal Charles, arguably the Chiefs best offensive player, has yet to see the field as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
So far this season, the Chiefs have only held a lead for 3:53 of game time, which was the time between Cairo Santos field goal on the opening drive against the Chargers and their touchdown on the following drive. The offense really only played well during the last 20 minutes of the game against the Chargers but has struggled the rest of the time they’ve seen the field. Even though the offense will face some tough defenses in the coming weeks, lets hope they can get it together to save what was once a promising season.
