3 methods the Chiefs’ offense can end extra red-zone drives

Even when they’re undefeated, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs sometimes use the bye week to self-evaluate. So throughout Week 6, the Chiefs had been in all probability centered on their success within the purple zone, the place the offense has scored touchdowns on solely 39% of its possessions. That’s the league’s fourth-lowest price.

This implies the unit has failed to complete 11 of the 18 drives that superior previous an opponent’s 20-yard line. It completed 54% in 2023 and 69% in 2022.

These stalled possessions have made a few of this season’s wins nearer than they wanted to be — and now that there are such a lot of offensive accidents, there might be much less margin for error. To beat the league’s contenders, Kansas Metropolis might want to full extra of its red-zone drives.

Let’s think about a number of the methods the Chiefs can try this.

1. Full throws in tight home windows

Head coach Andy Reid has designed his offensive scheme to get receivers open within the passing sport. Within the purple zone, nevertheless, the protection has much less house to cowl. That makes it tougher for the offense to fabricate throwing home windows. The Chiefs must earn extra completions from these tightly-contested passes.

On this third-down play in Week 1, quarterback Patrick Mahomes finds huge receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on the purpose line. However the wideout can’t safe the catch by contact, whiffing on the chance to transform — and even perhaps rating. After getting the ball on the Baltimore Ravens’ 20-yard line, the workforce settles for a discipline purpose.

In Week 5 in opposition to the New Orleans Saints, an 82-yard drive ends with no factors on this intercepted move to Smith-Schuster. Whereas the throw is excessive and barely behind him, it’s catchable. As an alternative, it’s batted up within the air. On this condensed house, that’s virtually a assured interception.

This landing move to tight finish Noah Grey is ruined by a holding penalty known as on proper deal with Jawaan Taylor — however it’s an instance of Mahomes failing to throw with anticipation to beat tight protection. Kansas Metropolis aligns in journeys on the left, leaving Grey remoted on the correct aspect. With all the eye on the opposite huge, Grey units himself as much as field out his man-coverage defender, opening a window for Mahomes to make a well-timed throw into the top zone.

However Mahomes passes it up, opting to scramble. Whereas he finally ends up making the throw, it’s nonetheless thrown into a decent window.

On this situation, Grey ought to have been thought of a dependable choice to catch the move from the highest of Mahomes’ drop. However the quarterback’s basic unwillingness to throw these sorts of contested passes is linked to the receivers Kansas Metropolis typically employs: smaller, sooner gamers who make yards after the catch.

The Chiefs ought to look to their tight ends extra usually. Jody Fortson may see extra utilization — and the workforce may additionally deliver huge receiver Justyn Ross up from the observe squad. He may very well be extra helpful within the purple zone than wideout Skyy Moore has been in any scenario this yr.

2. Assault the sides of the protection

Since Kansas Metropolis does have speedy receivers, the workforce ought to use that to its benefit within the purple zone. Going sideline-to-sideline with pre-snap movement and jet-sweep handoffs, huge receivers Mecole Hardman and Xavier Worthy are all the time a menace to beat defenders to the sting.

Towards the Saints, it did really feel just like the unit saved defenders on their toes through the use of this straight-line pace extra usually. Sweeps to Hardman and Worthy chipped away on the protection — after which within the fourth quarter, the workforce used Worthy’s capability to dart outdoors after a handoff to punch in a rating.

This completion to Grey is an efficient instance of how attacking the sting can open up the center of the sphere. Hardman goes into movement to draw defenders — after which on the snap, Worthy runs the opposite strategy to turn out to be a goal within the flat. With the New Orleans defenders scrambling to each sidelines, Mahomes comes again to Grey, who has no one in entrance of him till he’s contained in the five-yard line.

Given the present state of the workforce’s huge receiver depth, fast throws (or handoffs with a head begin to the sideline) will assist reap the benefits of the strengths of those gamers. They’ll additionally open working lanes (and throwing home windows) over the center.

3. Execute extra cleanly

It may be this easy: have cleaner execution within the purple zone.

The working sport has been environment friendly because the offense nears the purpose line. Kansas Metropolis ranks fourth in Anticipated Factors Added (EPA) per rush within the purple zone. It’s the setbacks and missed alternatives which have generally killed momentum.

Two of the Chiefs’ red-zone drives in opposition to the Saints had been doomed by holding penalties. One in every of these was Taylor’s flag on the move to Grey. Then a late-game drive stalled on penalties known as on heart Creed Humphrey and tight finish Jared Wiley. That drive additionally led to a discipline purpose.

Even outdoors the purple zone, holding penalties can kill scoring possibilities. Proper guard Trey Smith has been known as for holding in every of the final two video games. In Week 4, the penalty contributed to a possible discipline purpose try earlier than halftime being too distant to strive. Then in Week 5, his penalty arrange a third-and-21 that required tight finish Travis Kelce’s downfield lateral (and Kareem Hunt’s powerful fourth-and-1 run) to transform.

However Mahomes may tighten his execution, too. Whereas he’s thrown two red-zone interceptions, he’s additionally generally been inconsistent about taking part in inside the rhythm of a passing idea.

This play from Week 4 would have been a tricky throw, however higher pocket self-discipline would have given him a greater probability.

One factor is for certain: the workforce can’t proceed to depart factors on the board. Bettering within the purple zone might be a key consider persevering with Kansas Metropolis’s success.