Key takeaways from first half of Chiefs vs. Lions
Well, that's not a terrible start to the 2023 NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs lead the Detroit Lions at halftime 14-7. It hasn't exactly been easy with TE Travis Kelce sidelined with injury and Chris Jones watching from a suite above. They're making do with the players they have out there and they've done an admirable […]
Well, that's not a terrible start to the 2023 NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs lead the Detroit Lions at halftime 14-7. It hasn't exactly been easy with TE Travis Kelce sidelined with injury and Chris Jones watching from a suite above. They're making do with the players they have out there and they've done an admirable job so far. A lot of that has to do with Patrick Mahomes having a phenomenal first half as a passer and runner.
A lead going into halftime is always a good thing, considering they'll get the ball back to start the second half. With all of that in mind, here are a few quick takeaways from the first half of play:
Special teams gaffe to start the year
The seven points that Chiefs' defense gave up in the first quarter can be attributed to special teams. They got off the field quickly, but Dan Campbell made the gutsy decision to call a fake punt from Detroit's own 17-yard line.
The defense was allowing just two yards per play, but the momentum shift from the fake punt was palpable. After the fake punt, they allowed nearly eight yards per play to the Lions' offense. They couldn't seem to slow down the running game or the WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The Chiefs saw this same issue with special teams costing them early on in the year last season. Dave Toub was notably irate on the sideline. Hopefully, this doesn't become a long-term trend.
The run game is lacking so far
Patrick Mahomes was the Chiefs' leading rusher in the first half with four scrambles for 27 yards and a 6.8-yard per carry average. It's a good thing he was because the scrambling was necessary, but there is logically no reason for him to be the leading rusher. Sure, no Travis Kelce means the Detroit defense can pay some more attention to the run game.
The team has three capable running backs and a highly-touted offensive line. Why not try and get Isiah Pacheco going a bit? Getting an effective run game going is going to be pivotal for the team's success in the second half of the game.
The pass rush has been surprisingly effective
If Chris Jones' plan was to get Brett Veach to come groveling to him with a bigger offer, I'm not sure that's going to be what happens after this Week 1 performance. Sitting in his suite at Arrowhead, he's witnessing a defense that is having no problems getting pressure against Jared Goff and a good Lions O-Line. In the defense managed one sack from Mike Danna, a tackle for loss that basically was a sack, and two other quarterback hits. They're not really doing too many creative things as far as the blitz packages are concerned. We've seen some five-man rushes, but it has mostly been four-man pressure packages with the NASCAR looks.
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Featured image via Junfu Han Detroit Free Press
