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In past years, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to rely on some explosiveness and creativity. While that has still shown up at times this season, Kansas City is not able to take over games quite how they used to. And in the win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Chiefs showed that they could possibly win and advance with the formula of complementary football. There were still a few hiccups along the way at New England. Yet, Kansas City saw some vital depth pieces step up in a multitude of ways throughout the victory.
With a 27-17 win, the Chiefs climbed to 9-5 and avoided a possible third straight loss. With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, Kansas City has still never lost three consecutive games. This victory also saw the defense bounce back, in terms of their performance on the road. After slow starts in Vegas and Green Bay, the Chiefs defense came out of the gates much faster against Bailey Zappe and Co.
Beyond that, what were some of the top moments and takeaways from Sunday’s win? Can the Chiefs carry this momentum of complementary football further? Let’s kick it off.
Rashee Rice Continues To Ascend
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Many people had hope that rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice could step in and have some contribution right away. Yet, previous rookie receivers had never really done so, even somewhat remotely, under Andy Reid in KC. Rice has been the team’s best wide receiver for a while now, though. And against the Patriots, he proved so, once again. His recent stretch of play has given the Chiefs a major boost in key spots, as Rice continues to ascend.
In total, Rice led Kansas City in receiving yards (91), targets (nine) and receptions (seven) on Sunday. His lone receiving touchdown on the afternoon already gives him seven this year. That number leads the team for receiving touchdowns this season. On the flip side, Rice has averaged 83.5 receiving yards, 9.5 targets and eight receptions over his last four games. With those averages, perhaps Rashee can eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark as a rookie. He would need 246 receiving yards in his last three games to do so.
Beyond the numbers, Rice has continued to ascend with his approach within each rep. He is finding the soft spots in zones and sitting down for Mahomes more consistently. His catches have become more natural with his focus, as less drops for him have occurred. Moreover, Rice has begun to create more separation with his subtle adjustments against man coverage.
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Chiefs Flash Running Back Depth In Various Ways
Losing Isiah Pacheco and him being unavailable for a second straight week was not encouraging. And that is not necessarily because other Chiefs running backs are incapable of doing damage. Overall, Pacheco’s play style is just such a unique weapon to have in this current Kansas City offense. That is especially true in December.
But for the second consecutive week, Clyde Edwards-Helaire flashed with one of his better performances. Taking advantage of an increased opportunity, CEH was arguably one of the best KC skill players on Sunday. He was able to create an explosive play after the catch on an early screen pass. He made an unbelievable, leaping catch for a receiving touchdown. More importantly, Edwards-Helaire extended Chiefs drives when the team absolutely needed a lift.
The prior week against Buffalo, Edwards-Helaire finished with 68 scrimmage yards on 13 total touches. But in New England, he torched the Patriots for a combined 101 scrimmage yards on 17 total touches. We also saw Jerick McKinnon come through with a receiving touchdown of his own. When the Chiefs can get all of their running backs going, especially given the inconsistent wide receiver room, Kansas City grows into a greater threat. Those running backs will continue to be vital for the Chiefs with the formula of complementary football down the stretch.
Pressuring The Patriots
As for the Chiefs defense, Kansas City was flying around from start to finish. There were some adjustments that had to be made when covering New England in the passing game. But largely, the Chiefs picked up the offense to pitch in on the complementary football and set them up for advantageous opportunities. This was due in part to the pressure that Kansas City created.
Steve Spagnuolo is never shy about bringing extra heat from the second or third level of the defense. And instantaneously, the Patriots were put in a bind from that added pressure. New England’s offensive line had moments of confusion and left free runners open to hits on Zappe. In the end, the Chiefs finished with four sacks and six quarterback hits on Sunday. Each of Derrick Nnadi, Jaylen Watson, Drue Tranquill and Charles Omenihu were credited with a sack.
Elsewhere, the Chiefs were able to hit on getting off the field quickly and on critical downs, adding to the formula of complementary football. The Patriots only finished with 10 first downs, hardly moving the chains for a new set of downs. Kansas City stood tall in the red zone, to boot. New England only had two of their four red zone trips result in touchdowns. Finally, the Chiefs defense put even more pressure on the Patriots with their numerous third down stops. New England finished just two of 12 on third down attempts.
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.