The undefeated Chiefs have a blatant fatal flaw on offense and they need to fix it before it's too late
The Kansas City Chiefs have a blatant problem brewing on the offensive side of the ball, and it could even prove to be the team's fatal flaw if they don't act to fix it.When Chiefs starting LT Wanya Morris left the Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos with a right knee injury, the team relied […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have a blatant problem brewing on the offensive side of the ball, and it could even prove to be the team's fatal flaw if they don't act to fix it.
When Chiefs starting LT Wanya Morris left the Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos with a right knee injury, the team relied on rookie Kingsley Suamataia to protect Patrick Mahomes' blindside. When Suamataia came into the game, he allowed seven total pressures on 36 pass-blocking snaps, including a sack and three quarterback hits according to PFF. That's one less pressure than the rest of the offense combined, with four offensive linemen appearing in all 51 pass-blocking snaps. Four pressures against Suamataia came in 11 matchups with Broncos edge-rusher Nik Bonitto per NFL Next Gen Stats.
It's too early to call Suamataia a failed draft pick, but there is enough data to tell us that the 21-year-old is simply not ready to be out there yet. There's no shame in that. Playing in the NFL is hard and getting it can take some time. Still, the lack of readiness is a big problem for Kansas City as they look for a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
This knee injury isn't going away for Morris. He has been battling the same knee injury since training camp. He reinjured it in Preseason Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, which led to Suamataia starting the first two games. Morris aggravated the injury again in Week 5 against the Saints. Yes, he returned to the Week 10 game against the Broncos with just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but that was after missing virtually half of the game.
"He’s a fighter," Mahomes said of Morris. "He’s someone that gets in there and puts it all on the line. That’s what you want on the football team — someone who can fight through injury and play. I was proud of him. He got in there and he did his thing. And that's a good defensive line, good defense, and (Wanya Morris) did a great job fighting through injury to play some good football."
Morris isn't expected to miss time with his knee injury, Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters as much on Monday. However, the next time Morris aggravates his knee injury, he might be unable to return to the game. That's where the Chiefs run into a dilemma. Can you put Suamataia back out there and have full confidence in his abilities?
Do the Chiefs have an internal solution at left tackle?
In emergency scenarios, the Chiefs have gone to LG Joe Thuney to play left tackle. They did so against the Bengals one year when Orlando Brown Jr. was a late scratch due to a calf injury. The Chiefs could opt for a lineup of Thuney (LT), Mike Caliendo (LG), Creed Humphrey (C), Trey Smith (RG), and Jawaan Taylor (RT). That might actually prove to be their best bet in an injury situation.
They do have one other offensive tackle on the 53-man roster that they could turn to. UDFA rookie Ethan Driskell made the team because his athleticism and ability flashed on tape during the preseason and at training camp. The towering offensive tackle (6-foot-8 and 313 pounds) has been a healthy scratch all season long just because of the numbers game, but the situation with Suamataia might cause them to give Driskell a look at left tackle. According to PFF, Driskell played 83 snaps at left tackle during the preseason and 44 snaps at right tackle. Of his 80 pass-blocking snaps, Driskell allowed six total pressures. It is only preseason, but Suamataia has allowed 13 total pressures in 106 pass-blocking snaps this season, including three sacks.
On the practice squad, the Chiefs have former third-round draft pick Lucas Niang and international OT Jason 'Chu' Godrick. They could also be options, but only after the depth on the 53-man roster gets pushed to its limits.
NFL's top free agents are asking the Chiefs to fix their left tackle problem
Even before the Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos occurred the astute could spot this problem from a mile away. Former Packers LT David Bakhtiari tried to make a friendly wager with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes over Saturday's CU Buffs-Texas Tech game. Texas Tech didn't get the win over the Buffs, but I'm sure they could work something out.
Former Chiefs O-Lineman Jeff Allen asked the question everyone has been dying to know: Is former Chiefs LT Donovan Smith still available? Smith responded with an interesting .gif.
Now, there's a reason both of these players are still available heading into Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season. Bakhtiari has struggled with knee injuries since the 2019 NFL season and has been unable to stay on the field. The 31-year-old Smith might be waiting for the right opportunity to jump back into the game. Still, the Chiefs need to exhaust their options, including free agents. They seem to know that, too. Andy Reid spoke on the subject on Monday.
"Listen, that’s (Brett) Veach’s area," Reid told reporters. "He looks at everything. So, I’m not going to say, ‘No.’ But what we do as coaches and we overemphasize (that) we’re going to focus in on these kids that are here, and they’re getting better. I know it’s hard to see at times, but there’s progress being made, and we’re going to be okay as we go forward."
Chiefs HC Andy Reid had the perfect postgame response to LB Leo Chenal’s game-winning play
Leo Chenal is getting one of the highest possible honors from Chiefs HC Andy Reid.
