Getting Back to Basics Was the Key in KC Chiefs’ Week 12 Win Over Raiders
While not intended to slight their opponents, it seems like a universally agreed-upon sentiment to say that the Kansas City Chiefs' biggest obstacle this season has been themselves.
Against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, even after a rough first quarter, they finally got out of their own way.
The Kansas City offense gained 360 total net yards in Week 12, with 349 of them coming over the course of the final three frames. The Chiefs went 5-for-11 on third down, averaged 6.2 yards per play, logged 8.3 yards per pass and recorded seven more first downs than their opponent despite being down by six in that category right out of the gate. Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's unit had what can be deemed a successful day preparing their players, and those on the field executed at a higher level than they have as of late.
It's how the Chiefs did it, though, that stands out. Ironically, it shouldn't.
Kansas City didn't do anything bizarre in the run game on Sunday. Heck, the offense averaged just three yards per carry on a healthy 23 attempts. In that regard, there were a lot of hard-earned yards from Isiah Pacheco. Through the air, Reid didn't appear to dial up too many wild concepts from a schematic standpoint. The Chiefs kept things mostly barebones. A vanilla plan of attack, sure, but it was effective. It's difficult to see a 31-point output (including 17 points in the previously haunted second half) and think otherwise.
So what worked for Kansas City, and how did the offense move the chains? Stripping things down and getting back to basics. After an opening screen pass to Pacheco that got blown up, subsequent short-area efforts headed his way went for yardage totals of 11, 10, 14 and 10. Skyy Moore got the ball behind the sticks multiple times but made things happen in the open field. Rookie Rashee Rice was fed the ball within the flow of the game, had two drops and still went for 107 yards and a 39-yard score that highlighted what Sunday was all about — allowing the pass-catching options to extend plays.
Of the Chiefs' 298 receiving yards against the Raiders, 204 of them came after the catch. That matches the team's highest single-game percentage stemming from YAC (68.5) this season. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed a sparkling 27 of his 34 pass attempts, posting a 122.8 passer rating (his third-highest mark this year) while attempting just one throw between 20 and 30 yards down the field. Twenty-eight of Mahomes's attempts were either behind the line of scrimmage or within 10 yards of it. Of all signal-callers entering Monday's play, his Week 12 average of 4.1 intended air yards per attempt ranks dead last. But again, it worked.
Can the Chiefs continue to win games in this fashion? Probably, although concerns about sustained success against elite postseason opponents would remain. For a team that has a handful of weeks before then, however, this simplistic approach was much needed. An afternoon with this level of efficiency through the air and no turnovers can serve as a foundational building block in upcoming games against teams like the Green Bay Packers (5-6), Buffalo Bills (6-6), New England Patriots (2-9) and others to close out the regular season.
The long-term question everyone will constantly ask is whether this year's version of the Chiefs can win a Super Bowl. Fueled by a defense that snapped out of an early-game funk only to prove to be great once again on Sunday, it all comes down to the offense. Kansas City won't always win without consistent gains on the ground. Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney's eventual returns will factor into the picture. Rice won't always have 10 targets in a game. The answer is still likely yes; it's a good year to have a flaw or two because every team does.
With six games left to play before postseason play arrives, the Chiefs have afforded themselves a bit of time to fine-tune what they want their offense to look like for the biggest stretch in January. Is this the best way to move forward? Perhaps not, but it's a good start and a mini-reset that led to a 14-point victory. This was the Chiefs offense folks expected to see coming out of the bye. Where Reid and company go from here will determine if it's time to reevaluate the ceiling.
