How, why Kansas City Chiefs’ O-line overhaul mirrors defensive rebuild of two years ago
No single statistic better encapsulates how the Chiefs came to be clobbered 31-9 by Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV more than the berserk spectacle of Patrick Mahomes running 497 yards, per Next Gen Stats, before the 49 passes he threw and three sacks he absorbed.
The theater of the absurd was deftly replicated in a spoof TikTok video of Mahomes being instantly swarmed by defenders, and referees, as he made absurd acrobatic throws that caromed off receivers — like the one he fired while horizontal to the ground that went off Darrel Williams facemask in the end zone.
The distressing scene was a different sort of epic breakdown, for distinct reasons (including an epidemic of injuries on the line) on the opposite side of the ball from the last time the Chiefs had lost a playoff game two years before against New England in the AFC Championship Game.
But the ensuing ruthless revamping of the offensive line to serve and protect Mahomes reflected a similar strategic mindset of seismic change that the 37-31 overtime loss to the Patriots had provoked.
In each of what he called similar scenarios, general manager Brett Veach said, “We weren’t one part away … You needed solutions at every level.”
And they weren’t shy about how to get there.
“It was an aggressive approach (in both cases), because they both required more than just a simple fix,” he said. “They needed an overhaul.”
In this case, that meant essentially flooding the zone in a position group that the Chiefs learned anew last season can never be deep enough.
But the previous example of fundamental change perhaps is instructive in several ways now, both in terms of what it produced (the first Super Bowl triumph in 50 years, five straight postseason wins, etc.) but also how this might be expected to play out this time around.
First, let’s flash back to that exasperating loss to the Patriots, which was underscored by a wobbly defense being dissected by Tom Brady in overtime. That served to amplify issues that no longer could be shrugged off with denial and hope.
So the Chiefs took decisive and bold action by replacing defensive coordinator Bob Sutton with Steve Spagnuolo, revising schemes and churning personnel.
But they still needed something else: time.
Through a 6-4 start that season, capped by a 35-32 loss at Tennessee, the theoretically new and improved defense gave up 30 or more points four times and yielded fewer than 23 just three times.
It was easy to wonder where it was all going.
Next thing you know, though, the Chiefs won their final six regular-season games with a boost from a resurgent defense that muzzled every opponent to 21 points or fewer.
And the defense came through in the most crucial moments of the 31-20 victory over San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV, the first for the franchise in 50 years.
Between that momentous game, the encore Super Bowl (agonizing as it was) and the ample reasons to believe they will contend again, it’s safe to say Veach and the Chiefs knew what they were doing with the reformation of the defense and gained currency and credibility that should inspire faith in fans over this approach.
And how that unfolded is illuminating when it comes to what we might expect of the extreme makeover of the starting offensive line — which is likely to feature three rookies among five preseason starters who weren’t even with the team last year (including rookie Lucas Niang, who opted out because of COVID-19 concerns after being drafted in 2020).
The tentative starting group, which also features left tackle Orlando Brown (acquired by a trade with Baltimore), left guard and former Patriot Joe Thuney (a free agent signee) and draft picks Creed Humphrey (a center from Oklahoma) and Trey Smith (the right guard from Tennessee) in itself makes for a statement similar to what the Chiefs said two years ago about their defense:
The status quo had to go, albeit regrettably including anchor tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz — whose combination of season-ending injuries and tread on the tires (Fisher is 30, Schwartz is 32) clarified a prime directive to get younger and deeper.
So the changes were profound and pronounced, including with the trade for Brown, drafting of Humphrey and Smith, three free-agent signees and welcoming back Niang and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from opt-outs. (LDT is expected to be out with a hand injury until mid-to-late September).
By the time the musical chairs game was over, the Chiefs stand to have nearly as many changes on the starting offensive line entering the opener against Cleveland as they did among defensive starters (seven) between that Patriots loss and the 2019 season opener at Jacksonville.
Job description distinctions notwithstanding, one particular parallel dynamic also looms as a pivotal X-factor in what’s ahead: Communication and the ability to gel as a single-minded unit, one the Chiefs hope can add a crucial dimension to a run game that has grappled with generating traction in the trenches and red zone.
Talented as the group may be individually, maybe no element of football better illustrates the need for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts than on the line.
That’s why the off-season and preseason were marked by so much talk about … talking, something we also heard all the time in the early days of Spagnuolo’s defensive install and safety Tyrann Mathieu’s assertion of leadership.
So at training camp in St. Joseph, as described by The Star’s Sam McDowell, Mahomes and Brown were apt to have extra discussions that might even include speaking on the sideline with Mahomes simulating a dropback with an imaginary football.
“It’s always good to know where your quarterback wants to be, what he wants to do, what he’s thinking in certain situations,” said Brown, now playing left tackle rather than right in front of a quarterback less inclined to run than Lamar Jackson was in Baltimore. “And that can help me react or put my player wherever I need to put him so he can do what he does best.”
Much like the newly formed defense did, there’s also the matter of discussing among themselves, working to speak the common language both in terms of the verbiage and unspoken cues that come with chemistry.
“Trying to see the game the same way,” Thuney said, “(and) constantly trying to be a single unit together.”
Early reviews have been favorable enough, including blasting the way for a 10-yard run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the first play from scrimmage of the first preseason game at San Francisco. Also among the 11 plays the first-team line played that night was the gritty paving of a path to a first down for Edwards-Helaire on third and 2 at the San Francisco 8-yard-line.
All of which is dandy as far as it goes. But it does come with a caveat reminiscent of what happened in 2019 before the Chiefs could take flight.
“I do think there will be some ugly moments early on, especially when you start seeing some exotic (defensive) looks and some stunts in games,” Veach said. “These guys athletically are good enough; they’re better than good enough: They’re really talented.
“But at the same time, it doesn’t mean that fronts and schemes and games (being played by the defense) can’t get these guys and confuse them.”
So it remains to be seen how quickly the group, which surely will be in flux with injuries and potential other starters such as Mike Remmers in the mix, will have the requisite cohesion.
Will the raw players compound mistakes with more, or, as Veach put it, “settle down and work through them?” Can they stay relatively healthy? Is everybody in the best position to maximize this? How long will it take offensive line coach Andy Heck, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and coach Andy Reid to recognize tweaks they might need to make, whether in scheme, technique, personnel or otherwise?
Reflecting on adjustments Spagnuolo made in 2019 as he learned more about his players, Veach said, “part of being a coordinator is not just having a great scheme but knowing how to use your pieces.”
That season, and ever since, you could see that show up in the varying ways Mathieu is deployed. Or, more recently, the willingness to have Chris Jones play inside and outside on the defensive line. And any number of other examples of Spagnuolo knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his players and contouring to best practices within that.
Whatever such recognition could make it all thrive in this case, perhaps you’ll ultimately see not just Mahomes with better protection but the offense with better control of the line of scrimmage and thus more resources in short yardage and clock-killing situations.
Much like in 2019, though, this big fix isn’t likely to provide instant solutions.
“How long will it be? A game, two games, six games?” Veach said. “It’s going to take some time.”
But also like 2019, the process and approach also could be well worth the wait.