In a sequence of articles revealed over the summer season, I coated the ten greatest questions going through the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2024. We’ve already revisited 5 of them. Now we’ll take a look at the remainder.
As I famous after Week 3, the begin to Anudike-Uzomah’s season wasn’t encouraging. He was barely getting on the sector — and when he did, he wasn’t producing.
In response to Professional Soccer Focus, he’s now recorded 5 pressures, a sack, three quarterback hits, a ten.6% strain fee and an 11.1% win fee over 47 pass-rushing snaps by 5 video games.
These numbers are actually a step up from Week 3. Within the least two weeks, he’s had 4 pressures in 24 go speeding snaps, which is a 16.7% strain fee. That’s encouraging!
Sadly, this can be a small pattern. Whereas Anudike-Uzomah’s Week 4 numbers towards the Los Angeles Chargers have been spectacular, he received extra taking part in time as a result of Mike Danna was out — and was up towards two backup tackles. When Danna got here again, Anudike-Uzomah had simply seven pass-rushing snaps out of 11 whole reps.
As we are able to see from his shares of defensive snaps by 5 weeks, the Chiefs merely aren’t giving him a lot to do. Nonetheless, in his important pass-rushing function — a looper working off Chris Jones — he’s been efficient. His closing pace and suppleness can create late strain towards a shifting pocket.
Whereas I’d prefer to see extra of that, it’s not sufficient. He’s nonetheless younger — and deserves time — however as a first-round choose, he wants to indicate us extra. It’s an extended season; he’ll get extra alternatives. He must profit from them.
This has been one of many season’s nice surprises: Kansas Metropolis has had good depth alongside Chris Jones.
Mike Pennel has began all however certainly one of this season’s video games at nostril deal with, the place he’s continued to provide the workforce its finest play at that place since Derrick Nnadi’s early years — and maybe since Dontari Poe. Even at 33, his brute power and measurement make him an elite run defender. He’s pushed Nnadi right into a backup function.
As I defined in a take a look at his movie, Tershawn Wharton’s manufacturing has additionally been spectacular, with a career-high strain fee of 9.6%. He’s already collected two sacks. With Charles Omenihu out with an damage, I figured Danna or Anudike-Uzomah could be the workforce’s third go rusher — nevertheless it’s been Wharton by a major margin.
Sadly, the reply to this query is clear: nothing.
Brown suffered a shoulder damage on the opening play of the preseason. He’s anticipated to overlook most (if not all) of the common season. Hopefully, his restoration goes properly sufficient that this query will develop into, “How a lot can the Chiefs get out of Hollywood Brown within the postseason?”
This has been one other shock. Thus far, Kansas Metropolis’s working recreation is healthier than in 2022. The workforce is now third in speeding success fee (50.4%) and eighth in anticipated factors added (EPA). In 2022, the Chiefs have been sixth and tenth in these metrics.
Kansas Metropolis nonetheless isn’t getting explosive runs — the workforce has had only one working play for 15 or extra yards — however that’s been tough with out starter Isiah Pacheco, who fractured his fibula in Week 2. Whereas Kareem Hunt has been terrific, he now not has the burst to generate massive performs — and rookie Carson Steele runs along with his head down; he’s not prone to discover the speeding lanes that result in game-changing yardage.
As a substitute, the workforce’s success within the working recreation has come from the offensive line’s dominant play. Defenses are tending to play two-high security shells towards the Chiefs — and the road has been pounding the sunshine bins it sees. Heart Creed Humphrey is taking part in nice, proper deal with Jawaan Taylor has been a significantly better run blocker and proper guard Trey Smith is having a profession 12 months. On the left, deal with Wanya Morris and guard Joe Thuney have been greater than ample.
And whereas Hunt will not be cranking out massive beneficial properties, his success fee as a rusher (65.9%) helps to maintain the Chiefs out of third-and-long conditions. As lengthy he retains doing that, Kansas Metropolis’s working recreation will proceed to excel.
We don’t but know the reply to this query.
Early within the season, Kelce was not a lot of an element within the offense, with solely eight catches and 69 yards on 12 targets. With the success of the working recreation — and vast receiver Rashee Rice taking a excessive quantity of targets — there was no have to overuse Kelce, which might assist him contemporary for the playoffs.
However circumstances have modified. With the accidents to Brown, Pacheco and Rice, Kansas Metropolis has needed to improve the star tight finish’s utilization — and to this point, he’s seemed nice. Over the past two video games, he’s had 16 catches for 159 yards on 19 targets. If he continued to get 80 yards per recreation by the remainder of the season, he’d end with greater than 1,300 yards. (He’d solely have to common 65 yards a recreation to get his eighth 1,000-yard season).
However right here’s the essential query: can the 35-year-old tight finish maintain that form of a tempo over the complete season — and nonetheless be a major issue within the playoffs?
That is why I imagine the Chiefs want one other receiver. With the working recreation, Mahomes and Kelce, the offense has sufficient. However one other receiver would assist relieve Kelce’s burden, permitting him to show in one other wonderful postseason.
