It takes 11 players. 11 players doing their job right; executing their assignments, and making their blocks. The Kansas City Chiefs were able to rely on their transcendent trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill against the Buffalo Bills when it mattered the most. To get there, though, they needed a little help from their friends.
The 2021 NFL season was, at times, another reminder that the Kansas City Chiefs are just mere mortals. A slow start to the season saw the Chiefs drop to below .500 for the first time since Week 10 of the 2015 season – a spell of 89 regular-season games. While the Chiefs historically bad defense was a major reason for their sluggish start, it was the play on the other side of the ball that had fans concerned.
Kansas City have been a virtually unstoppable force on offense since Mahomes was named the starter in 2018. From 2018 to 2020, the Chiefs led the NFL in EPA by an astronomical margin and Mahomes threw for 13,668 yards and 114 touchdowns, completing 66.8 percent of his passes. But in Super Bowl LIV, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved that there was a potential formula that could slow the Chiefs down – and it was really quite simple.
The Buccaneers deployed two-high safeties as often as they could, limiting the Chiefs ability to play vertical, while also enabling the defense to double Kelce or Hill whenever necessary. It completely frazzled Mahomes and the Chiefs enough for other teams to take note of the defensive gameplan and implement it during the 2021 NFL season.
As the NFL continued to roll out Cover-2 defenses against the Chiefs, they struggled to adapt and find answers. Mahomes had to learn to take what defenses gave him, without forcing the ball into dangerous windows. Inevitably, it impacted the way the Chiefs played. Mahomes’ average depth of target dropped to a career-low 7.4 yards, a full yard down from 2020.
In turn, that further complicated the roles of their two receiving stars, Kelce and Hill. Hill’s average depth of target dropped to a career-low 10.4 yards and was often doubled on deep routes and forced to play underneath, neutralising his game-breaking speed. Kelce was often the target of constant double-teams and safety help. Opposing teams wanted the Chiefs to run the ball and force Mahomes to throw to his other weapons.
It took time, but ultimately, the Chiefs found ways to counteract those changes. The revamped offensive line provided the avenue for the Chiefs to efficiently run the ball, which ultimately meant that defenses had to start dropping one of those safeties in coverage back down into the box to defend the run – thereby giving the Chiefs the opportunity to move the ball vertically once more.
Those moments opened the door for some formerly overlooked players to shine. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire battling injuries, it was Darrel Williams that stepped up. Williams had career-highs across the board, but also became a fixture as a receiving threat in the passing game.
Byron Pringle and Mecole Hardman also saw opportunities open up in the passing game. Pringle recorded at least five catches in four of the last five games, and added five touchdowns during that span as well. Meanwhile, Hardman had a 103 yard receiving game in Week 18 and has been used as a decoy and gadget in the Chiefs running game. Having peripheral players step up for the Chiefs takes a lot of weight off the production of Kelce and Hill, especially when defenses focus much of their defensive schemes on them.
Like the Chiefs’ adjustment to two-high safeties, it forced defenses to change the way they play and, naturally, Andy Reid took advantage of it. The Chiefs were able to put it all together against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round last week, with the trio of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill once again taking center stage. Mahomes completed 75 percent of his passes for 378 yards, throwing three touchdowns in the process. Two of those touchdowns were to Hill and Kelce, who combined for 16 catches, 246 yards, and the two scores.
Eventually, the process came full circle as it had to. The Chiefs trifecta of talent has proven in too many big spots that they won’t be denied forever. In the moments that they are though, the Chiefs have shown that they have enough secondary talent to help them get by.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @ThomasValenfine