Kansas City Chiefs’ position coach may have just made the fan base even angrier than they already are
Andy Heck thinks the Chiefs’ run game isn’t as bad as it really is.
The Kansas City Chiefs are now in a position to try some things out. They have three games remaining, two against terrible teams: the Tennessee Titans and the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, they can see what could work for next season, or what could be something they never need to go back to again. This is the perfect time for some self-reflection.
And, the coaches need that self-reflection, maybe just as much as the players do, if not even more. Why else is there a position coach saying the run game, which is one of the worst in the entire league, is actually efficient?
“Yeah, we have a good idea about those concepts that we’re good at,” offensive line coach Andy Heck said on Thursday. “We’ve been an efficient run team through the year. What we’re looking for is, you know, how can we get more explosive in the run game? And so that’s a constant effort, whether it’s what are we doing scheme-wise, how can we block it better?
“But you know, I love the grit and toughness in our running backs. We spend a lot of time working on these things now. We’ve got a few different combinations in there, a few guys doing this, and there’s a lot to, you know, getting on the correct angle and being in phase with your buddy with the back. So we’ve got a few weeks here to continue to try to improve that.”
The Chiefs’ run game is the opposite of efficient
Anyone who has watched the Chiefs this year knows the run game is anything but efficient. KC is in the bottom half of the league in rush yards per game at 113, and is about smack dab in the middle in rush yards per attempt at 4.3. However, over the last three games, they are at 4.0 rush yards per attempt, which is 13th-worst in the league. And, when you take away Patrick Mahomes‘ scrambles this season, they average around 3.7 yards per carry, which is just terrible.
That is not efficient. Well, it’s efficiently average, or as the kids say nowadays, “mid.” It’s actually worse than average. Not only can they not sustain a run game throughout the entire game, but the Chiefs also cannot break off any explosive plays, as Heck said.
Now that part, he is right about. But to say they are efficient is laughable, and honestly, a bit of coach malpractice. Heck designs the run game, so he should know it sucks, but he doesn’t seem to know that. Kareem Hunt is getting older and doesn’t have much juice at all. He’s now much more of a power back on short-yardage downs. Isiah Pacheco cannot find running lanes without running into one of his own linemen. And, they really have no third back.
The Chiefs have to get this part of their game fixed next season. There’s no excuse. Mahomes cannot keep trying to be Superman every single game.
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