Chiefs stole a page from the Ravens' playbook against the Bills, and it helped them get to the Super Bowl for the third straight year
The Kansas City Chiefs stole a page from the Baltimore Ravens' playbook to defeat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. You might have noticed that the Chiefs ran a counter-read-option play out of the same 12-personnel formation twice in Sunday's win over the Bills, with both plays resulting in touchdowns. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky actually […]
The Kansas City Chiefs stole a page from the Baltimore Ravens' playbook to defeat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
You might have noticed that the Chiefs ran a counter-read-option play out of the same 12-personnel formation twice in Sunday's win over the Bills, with both plays resulting in touchdowns. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky actually highlighted the two plays as ones he'd never seen the Chiefs run before: Kareem Hunt's 12-yard touchdown run and Patrick Mahomes' 10-yard touchdown run.
Both plays were out of the same 12-personnel formation with two tight ends and one running back in a diamond formation in the backfield. The right guard and right tackle pull to the left, and the tight ends pull to the right.
Well, there's a reason Orlovsky hadn't seen the team run the plays before. That play isn't straight out of Andy Reid's spread playbook, but it's actually straight out of Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken's playbook. This play was installed for this game based on what the Chiefs' offensive coaching staff saw as an exploitable weakness in the Week 4 game between the Ravens and Bills.
Baltimore, along with the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams, was one of three teams to score 30 or more points against Buffalo in a single game this season. This is typically the starting point for Kansas City's coaching staff. What have other teams done well, and how can we replicate that?
Going into the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes clarified that he's willing to take more risks as a runner in win-or-go-home games. The offensive coaching staff saw how the Bills' defense struggled to cover this look, crashing down on the running back threat (Justice Hill) instead of going with one of the most electric running quarterbacks of our generation (Lamar Jackson). The Chiefs adapted it to their repertoire, but Buffalo didn't know it was coming, and they certainly didn't know how to defend it any better than they did with Baltimore. Bills DE Greg Rousseau told GoLongTD's Tyler Dunne, "I didn’t see that (in) any of the breakdowns I watched."
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I don't think the Ravens will be sending the Chiefs any fruit baskets anytime soon. They'll probably end up scratching their head and wondering, "Why didn't we use this play more effectively in the AFC divisional round?"
On the flip side, Andy Reid proves once again that coaching and preparation make all of the difference in these high-leverage games.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s early thoughts on the Eagles ahead of Super Bowl LIX include the ultimate compliment to Saquon Barkley
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid weighs in on the Philadelphia Eagles and their star running back.
