OFFENSE
My goodness, can I gush about this offense for a second?
Tyreek Hill headlines week one’s best offense after a monster seven reception,
169 yard day to add two touchdowns along with it. Hill remains of the most
explosive players not only for the Chiefs, but the entire league thanks to his
speed (His nickname is Cheetah. Let that sink in), and athleticism to make
plays with his body as well.
Former Bill/Ram Sammy Watkins starts opposite of Hill, as
Watkins have shown the ability to be a number one receiver when given the
opportunity. As Watkins still builds a rapport with his quarterback (We’ll get
to him in a second), Travis Kelce anchors the tight end spot for the Chiefs,
and is the clear second best tight end in the league only behind Rob
Gronkowski.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a lot of expectations to
fill in his first start after sitting a year behind now-departed Alex Smith,
and he delivered. Mahomes is a young guy with a rocket launcher of an arm, and
the athleticism to make plays with his legs as well. Mahomes appears to be
legitimate, which is bad news for a Steelers defense that just gave up 21
points to Tyrod Taylor and the Browns.
Up front, Kansas City’s offensive line entered the season as
a middle of the pack unit, and had the luxury of avoiding premier pass-rusher
Joey Bosa last Sunday thanks to a foot injury that kept Bosa out. The Chiefs
line gave up one sack against the Chargers last Sunday, and will look to continue
its improvement in week two.
The offensive line was headlined by the superb play of
guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who didn’t allow a single pressure on
Mahomes all game (side note, he’s actually a doctor, too). The outside of the
line remains anchored by the ever so steady Eric Fisher on the left, and the
impressive Mitchell Schwartz on the right. This line isn’t talked about among
the best, but 2018 is off to a good start for the big men up-front.
Behind the line runs Kareem Hunt, coming off a tremendous
rookie campaign in 2017. Hunt failed to establish anything on the ground last
week, rushing for a mere 49 yards on 16 attempts. Yet Hunt still makes himself
available in the passing attack, as he finds a lot of balls dumped his way.
Hunt possesses the ability to break any given play into a long run, and excels
in shedding tackles as well.
With the Chiefs offense, you can expect to see a healthy
dose of practically everything. The Chiefs are not afraid to run the ball 20+
times a game, while also throwing the ball on short, intermediate, and deep
routes. Hill’s speed allows him to be dangerous on both deep balls down the
sideline and on short crossing routes as well. Kelce excels taking on
linebackers in coverage, so expect to see Kansas City to try to match a guy
like Vince Williams on him when possible.
Manning the Chiefs offense is sort of tag team duo between
head coach Andy Reid, and first year coordinator Eric Bienemy. Reid has
consistently been one of the league’s best offensive minds of the past few decades,
getting the best out of his offense with scheming and play-calling. Kansas
City’s offense scored 31 points in the opening week of play against a
considerably solid Chargers defense, will week two in Pittsburgh bring the
Chiefs that same fortune?
DEFENSE
The Chiefs defense has seen some turnover this year,
especially in the defensive secondary. Marcus Peters was shipped to the Rams,
which had a lot of fans upset, and perhaps rightfully so. Peters attained 19
interceptions in his first three seasons, good enough to lead the league in
that time frame.
Kansas City also saw four other players in the defensive
backfield bid farewell, one of which being safety Ron Parker. Their other
safety, Eric Berry, has yet to see the field thanks to a heel injury that has
kept him out since August. Needless to say, this Chiefs secondary isn’t quite
primed and ready, as Philip Rivers threw for 400+ yards and three touchdowns
despite emerging victorious against Los Angeles. Will Ben Roethlisberger and
company find that same success through the air?
Chief’s legend Derrick Johnson went to the dark side and put
an Oakland Raiders helmet on, but KC still maintains a strong crew of men at
the position. Kansas City plays a 3-4 defense similar to the Steelers, with two
inside linebackers and two outside linebackers.
Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland (both studs) hold down
the middle, while Dee Ford and Justin Houston man the outside edges. This
linebacker corps, when healthy, is one that can do a little of everything in
rushing the passer and stopping the run as well.
In the trenches is where this game will likely be won. Chris
Jones and Allen Bailey play as defensive ends, as Xavier Williams anchors the
middle of the defensive line down as nose tackle. This unit doesn’t exactly pop
out as anything tremendous, and will certainly have their hands full with
Pittsburgh’s offensive line.
OVERALL
Week two presents a great opportunity for both teams. Should
Kansas City win, the Chiefs will improve to 2-0 on the year and will have
finally defeated the bump in their road for so long. Should the Steelers emerge
victorious; things get back on track in the steel city as the team notches
their first win of 2018.
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