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In need of a bounce back, many players stepped up for the Kansas City Chiefs. Much of this occurred on the offensive side of the football. However, there is one Kansas City defender that continues to stick out each and every week. The Chiefs were simply more prepared and made smarter decisions in crucial situations, leading to a 41-31 victory in Tampa Bay.
While there were many positive results, we will not be able to list everybody in the stock up category. Therefore, we will strictly be listing the most notable performers from Sunday night. Each and every week, we will be listing players or position groups that improved or hurt their respective stock. Who had their stock rise or fall in Week 4? Let’s kick it off.
Stock Up
Andy Reid
Andy Reid came off the frustrating loss to the Colts saying that he needed to do a better job of getting his skill players in rhythm. Well, Coach Reid did that and more against the Buccaneers. From the start of this contest, Reid dove into his bag of tricks. Not all of the Kansas City gimmicks result in positive outcomes for the Chiefs offense. But this week, Reid dialed up and designed some amazing plays. Overall, he had the offense humming with tremendous pace. Reid was also able to hurt the foot and eye discipline of the Buccaneers defense. This came on pump fakes, clearout routes, quick screens and elongated mesh points on play action passes, to boot.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes may not have blown anyone away with his entire stats. Yet, the Chiefs quarterback was controlled, calculated and attacking quickly. His ability to get the ball out at a heightened pace forced the Buccaneers to defend every blade of grass. Elsewhere, Mahomes was able to show more reserve in the pocket. That pocket awareness was just not there the week prior. His ability to extend plays led to another Houdini, highlight reel touchdown. When Mahomes is feeling it like he was, spreading it around and working efficiently, the Chiefs are nearly unstoppable.
Travis Kelce
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Travis Kelce led the team in targets (10), receptions (nine) and receiving yards (92) in this game. Obviously, it is not shocking to hear that he led Kansas City in those categories for a single game. It was the way in which he beat the Buccaneers that stood out the most, however. Kelce was able to extend drives by getting necessary yards after the catch. On the other hand, the tight end made some difficult catches in traffic and in between defenders. He also climbed higher in the tight end record books. Due to his amazing performance, Kelce surpassed Rob Gronkowski for fifth-most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history. Only Tony Gonzalez (15,127), Jason Witten (13,046), Antonio Gates (11,841) and Shannon Sharpe (9,961) sit ahead of Kelce (9,328) all-time.
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Clyde Edwards-Helaire And Isiah Pacheco
This may have been the best rushing performance we have seen from the Chiefs in two or three years. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was able to create chunk gains by making defenders miss. More importantly, his reads were much better than the week before. Edwards-Helaire even showed that he can get the tough yards when initiating against contact. Rookie Isiah Pacheco also had a solid game. His contact balance and power allowed him to gain extra yards on the ground. Lastly, he nearly broke through for a touchdown on a kick return right before halftime. It may only be a matter of time before Pacheco gets through for a kickoff return touchdown.
Chiefs Offensive Line
Part of the reason as to why Kansas City had one of their best rushing performances in a while, was because of the Chiefs offensive line. This group was pitiful the week before, failing to match the strength and intensity of the Indianapolis defensive line. To see the movement and tenacity that they created against the Buccaneers was quite encouraging. Most blocking units cower in a matchup against the Tampa Bay defensive front. Nevertheless, the Chiefs played angry and took it to a physical Buccaneers defense, allowing them to control the entire game.
L’Jarius Sneed
For the second straight week, L’Jarius Sneed forced a fumble by getting to the quarterback on a blitz. He has routinely been one of the better blitzers among defensive backs in the NFL. Sneed’s versatility is also something that has benefitted him over the last few years. His ability to cover in the slot, out wide and support in run defense is crucial for the Chiefs defense. Sure, the pass defense gave up some big plays. The positioning and coverage of Sneed has been tight, though. Eventually, those fortunes will turn into takeaways for him.
Stock Down
Chiefs Pass Rush
By no means, has the Chiefs pass rush disappointed this season. However, it was a largely empty game against the Buccaneers. Tom Brady was of course getting the ball out quickly, most of the time. But, Kansas City was unable to create hurried or off-target throws. When they did get to Brady, the Chiefs whiffed on a few chances. This unit has started out the season well. They must continue to build upon that and get back to knocking down the passer, moving forward.
Mecole Hardman And Justin Watson
As many Chiefs fans were hoping for, we saw more of Skyy Moore on offensive snaps in Tampa Bay. He was able to make a couple of key catches to move the sticks in the second half. Because of that, two receivers have seen their usage drop. Mecole Hardman had one catch for four yards on his lone target against the Buccaneers. Whereas with Justin Watson, he did not make a catch on his only target when facing his former team. This duo can still create glimpses of success at times. Meanwhile, increasing Moore’s snaps should not change as the season progresses.
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.