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The Kansas City Chiefs did not take long to show their offensive brilliance in 2022. KC stormed out to a 44-21 victory against the Arizona Cardinals to open the year. With many questions surrounding some key departures, Patrick Mahomes dazzled for another dominant Week 1 showing. He did just as he said the Chiefs offense would, which was spread the ball all around the field. More on that later. Meanwhile, Andy Reid designed some fascinating looks with his offensive personnel.
Those looks will be the main subject of our FPC Chiefs Week 1 reaction article. In today’s piece, we will dive into the differences that the Kansas City offense showed. How did this benefit Mahomes? What else could be opened up by this updated offensive attack? We will answer those questions and more. Let’s kick it off, expanding more on the plethora of offensive designs used by the Chiefs.
Tight End Bonanza
It is one thing to have Travis Kelce, arguably the best tight end in the NFL. Though, it is entirely different to have the depth that Kansas City has at the tight end position. Why is this depth so impressive? For starters, the Chiefs have done well to bring in different shapes and sizes to that spot. Jody Fortson, who caught a touchdown on Sunday, is a pure matchup nightmare. Not many tight ends can boast the same height and strength that he brings at the catch point. Because of that, Fortson can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses in one-on-one situations. Finally, Noah Gray is sneaky after the catch and in the open field. With his athletic ability, Gray is a nice complement to Kelce.
As we saw against the Cardinals, the Chiefs were able to attack the Arizona defense with multiple tight end looks. We just did not see the heavy usage of multiple tight end sets in recent years. Using more 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) or 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) could be a greater fixture in the Kansas City offense. Elsewhere, the Chiefs are able to attack in a variety of ways with those tight ends. They can get an explosive play by attacking vertically with every tight end. They can pick up tough yards by allowing the tight ends to work after the catch and show off their slipperiness. Or, the Chiefs can attack over the middle of the field with the tight ends by using multiple crossing routes and over routes.
No matter what tight end is getting a target, the Chiefs know that they can depend on all three of them. Kelce went off for eight catches, 121 receiving yards and one touchdown catch in Arizona. Fortson did not just have a touchdown catch. Additionally, he was able to break tackles and gain necessary tough yards in the red zone. Gray was able to find a soft spot in zone coverage for his lone catch, showing off his toughness afterwards. Dial up the tight ends, and the Chiefs appear destined to wear down opposing defenses with this trio.
Play Action Pass Game
There has always been the semblance of the RPO in the Chiefs offense. In the past, Mahomes was able to get many yards by using quick hitters out of the RPO look. His tempo and pace, along with his wicked release, already makes it tough to time up for defensive backs. On the other hand, Coach Reid seemed to get more creative with the play action pass game in Arizona.
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With a greater mix of offensive looks, Reid helped Mahomes gain more time in the pocket. Particularly when they were using play action from under center, the Chiefs were able to quickly freeze the feet of defenders. The Cardinals also had many moments where they lost track of their man in space with those looks.
There were also some play action pass plays that helped Mahomes have a moving pocket. This passer is already one of the more lethal outside of structure and on the run. Yet, Mahomes did not necessarily have to revert to those old tricks against the Cardinals. The play action pass allowed him to pick his spots and push the pace. With an improved passing base in his lower half, Mahomes had more poise than he did to start last season.
Running Back Rotation
This is an intriguing running back room. Overall, the Kansas City Chiefs have built a running back room that plays with a constant chip on their shoulder. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is looking for a breakout after an up and down first two years. The speedster, Jerick McKinnon, has gone through many different injuries in his career. His experience of being battle-tested is a tremendous asset for this Chiefs offense. Furthermore, Isiah Pacheco has the power and pop that simply overwhelms defenders. Once Ronald Jones gets on the field, you know that he is going to run hard and straight at the opponent’s chest.
The game script could have certainly altered the running back usage for the Chiefs on Sunday. Nevertheless, Kansas City has plenty of options with which to work with, depending on the situation. CEH appeared to offer more patience and improved vision against the Cardinals. McKinnon simply made many defenders miss in space. Lastly, Pacheco is just super-charged and acts like he belongs. There were still be some learning curves with him. Pacheco creates so much damage in numerous ways, however.
Deeper Supporting Cast?
No Tyreek Hill? No problem. Possibly, the Chiefs have a more balanced wide receiver room than they did last year. As Mahomes said the other day, there may not be a true number one receiver. This team is going to be spreading it around and highlighting different players each week. In fact, the Chiefs had nine different players make at least one catch in Arizona. There were just too many names for the Cardinals to account for.
So, what does this do for the Kansas City offense? Overall, they can attack defenses to all areas of the field. The Chiefs are also able to play with a varied pace, depending on the circumstances. They can win with tempo or a methodical pace alike. Mainly, this deeper supporting cast benefits Mahomes by keeping defenses guessing. It could allow him to see more mixed coverages than what haunted Kansas City last year. At the same time, the Chiefs will be able to remain more balanced with this supporting cast. That is something they have hoped for in recent years.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.