After Sunday’s game against the Broncos, did we overhype the greatness of this new offensive line?
Hello again everyone and welcome to another week of the ArrowChop! This is the column where we look at the positives/negatives of a certain Chiefs/NFL issue and look at both sides of the aisle. Then you, the readers, will come to your conclusions after I lay out the case. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we breakdown this week’s hot topic.
The Chiefs played an overall great game last Sunday versus the Broncos. The defense was able to cause turnover after turnover, the offense did what they needed to do to put points on the board, and the special teams and Byron Pringle was able to achieve a 102-yard kick return touchdown. It seemed as though the Chiefs were clicking on all cylinders… well for the most part.
After an exciting first showing from the Chiefs’ “new” offensive line (additions include Allegretti, Kilgore, and Remmers), it seemed as though they were lackluster this time around. We must ask ourselves if this new offensive line was overhyped and just a one-game wonder, or if it was an off game for them. Let’s break down both sides of the aisle to see which holds.
The new offensive line was overhyped
This firstly falls upon the poor pass protection they showed through the game. The offensive line allowed four sacks for a loss of 28 yards, which is the most amount of sacks allowed in a Chiefs game this year, along with Mahomes being pressured greatly.
Mahomes had only 200 yards passing which is his least amount of yards in a game this season; moreover, this could be attributed to the pressure he faced due to the line’s poor protection. He barely has any time to make the exciting plays that he’s known to make.
This side also leans on the fact that the run blocking they achieved was not glanced at clearly. The Bills have the 21st ranked rushing defense who allow 126.7 yards per game, so it wasn’t a surprise that Edwards-Helaire had a breathtaking game against them; however, the Broncos stopped the hype quick as they only allowed Edwards-Helaire 46 yards on eight carries and Bell was held to 39 yards on six carries. If the Chiefs’ rushing attack is struggling against the Broncos defense, then they’ll have a tough time in later games like versus the Buccaneers and/or the Saints.
Breaking off the stat train a little bit, besides the 16-yard Bell broke off, it seemed as though rushing lanes seemed clogged for the most part. Edwards-Helaire was bouncing off tackles like it was nothing, so it wasn’t a problem for him, but it was for everyone else. Washington couldn’t get anything going on the ground game as he ran three times for only five yards and if we remove Bell’s first run, he averaged only 4.4 yards per rush which is only average; then again, that’s what every running back should be averaging. The holes must be greater and Osemele’s and Schwartz’s absences have shown that.
The new offensive line wasn’t overhyped
This side of the coin leans on the run-blocking aspect of the case. In their first game they all played together (versus the Bills), the rushing attack had surpassed 200 yards and the running back’s yards per attempt averages were exceptional. Helaire had 6.2 yards per carry, Williams had 4.3 yards per carry, and Thompson had 5.7 yards per carry. Also, the run-blocking gave the offense over 100 rushing yards and Edwards-Helaire averaged 5.8 yards per carry while allowing some spectacular runs like Bell’s 16-yard run and Hardman’s 13-yard run. That’s some great numbers for a majority of the line being backups; consequently, it looks like they’ll be here to stay until the regular line heals up.
That all for the case if the Chiefs’ “new” offensive line was overhyped. What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion.
Thanks for reading and have a pleasant day.
