In a collection of articles printed over the summer time, I lined the ten largest questions going through the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2024. We’ve already revisited 5 of them. Now we’ll have 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 keeping with Professional Soccer Focus, he’s now recorded 5 pressures, a sack, three quarterback hits, a ten.6% stress price and an 11.1% win price over 47 pass-rushing snaps by way of 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% stress price. That’s encouraging!
Sadly, it is a small pattern. Whereas Anudike-Uzomah’s Week 4 numbers in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers had been spectacular, he bought extra enjoying time as a result of Mike Danna was out — and was up in opposition to two backup tackles. When Danna got here again, Anudike-Uzomah had simply seven pass-rushing snaps out of 11 complete reps.
As we are able to see from his shares of defensive snaps by way of 5 weeks, the Chiefs merely aren’t giving him a lot to do. Nonetheless, in his major pass-rushing position — a looper working off Chris Jones — he’s been efficient. His closing velocity and suppleness can create late stress in opposition to a transferring pocket.
Whereas I’d wish 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 point out us extra. It’s a protracted season; he’ll get extra alternatives. He must take advantage of 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 one in all this season’s video games at nostril sort out, the place he’s continued to offer the group its greatest play at that place since Derrick Nnadi’s early years — and maybe since Dontari Poe. Even at 33, his brute energy and measurement make him an elite run defender. He’s pushed Nnadi right into a backup position.
As I defined in a have a look at his movie, Tershawn Wharton’s manufacturing has additionally been spectacular, with a career-high stress price of 9.6%. He’s already collected two sacks. With Charles Omenihu out with an harm, I figured Danna or Anudike-Uzomah could be the group’s third go rusher — however it’s been Wharton by a major margin.
Sadly, the reply to this query is apparent: nothing.
Brown suffered a shoulder harm 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. To this point, Kansas Metropolis’s working recreation is best than in 2022. The group is now third in speeding success price (50.4%) and eighth in anticipated factors added (EPA). In 2022, the Chiefs had been sixth and tenth in these metrics.
Kansas Metropolis nonetheless isn’t getting explosive runs — the group 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 not has the burst to generate massive performs — and rookie Carson Steele runs together with his head down; he’s not prone to discover the speeding lanes that result in game-changing yardage.
As a substitute, the group’s success within the working recreation has come from the offensive line’s dominant play. Defenses are tending to play two-high security shells in opposition to the Chiefs — and the road has been pounding the sunshine packing containers it sees. Middle Creed Humphrey is enjoying nice, proper sort out Jawaan Taylor has been a significantly better run blocker and proper guard Trey Smith is having a profession 12 months. On the left, sort out Wanya Morris and guard Joe Thuney have been greater than satisfactory.
And whereas Hunt will not be cranking out massive positive factors, his success price 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 large receiver Rashee Rice taking a excessive quantity of targets — there was no must overuse Kelce, which might assist him recent for the playoffs.
However circumstances have modified. With the accidents to Brown, Pacheco and Rice, Kansas Metropolis has needed to enhance the star tight finish’s utilization — and thus far, he’s appeared 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 way of the remainder of the season, he’d end with greater than 1,300 yards. (He’d solely must common 65 yards a recreation to get his eighth 1,000-yard season).
However right here’s the vital query: can the 35-year-old tight finish maintain that sort of a tempo over the total season — and nonetheless be a major issue within the playoffs?
For this reason 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 superb postseason.
