Just call it ‘Coast-to-Coast’ offense

When Andy Reid took over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, he brought the so-called West Coast offense that conceptually places a greater emphasis on passing than running.

Someone tell that to Chiefs rookie Kareem Hunt, who leads the NFL in rushing.

The offensive system, originally devised by Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh when he was an assistant with Cincinnati, features shorter, more horizontal passing routes and high-percentage passes.

Someone tell that to Chiefs multi-purpose receiver Tyreek Hill, who has six touchdowns of at least 68 yards in his past nine games.

Those two players are single-handedly debunking the notion the West Coast offense is supposed to be more conservative and thrive on ball control. The Chiefs have had at least one 50-yard scoring play in 10 of their past 11 regular-season games, including an NFL-record nine in a row, dating to last season. Hill and Hunt have combined for eight.

Perhaps they should rename it the Coast-to-Coast offense.

“Those guys just hit it,” Steelers safety Sean Davis said. “They hit it downhill and they get up on the defense faster than they expected it to be and it puts them in chase mode.”

Defenses have been chasing Hill since last year when he had rushing touchdowns of 68 and 70 yards and punt-return scores of 78 and 95. Now they have to worry about both.

Hill already has an 82-yard punt-return and 75-yard receiving touchdown this season. And Hunt, a third-round draft choice from Toledo, is the first player in NFL history to have three touchdowns of 50 yards or longer in each of his first three games. He also had a 58-yard run against the New England Patriots in which he didn’t score.

They have combined for five plays from scrimmage of at least 53 yards in five games, making them the most explosive duo in the NFL. The only other team with five plays of 50-plus yards from scrimmage is the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Limiting those big plays will be the Steelers’ top priority in Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. game at Arrowhead Stadium.

“You got to know where their location is at all times,” said Davis, who is the last line of defense for the Steelers. “Even if they’re not your responsibility, you got to know where they are.”

The Steelers have done a good job limiting big plays in the passing game. They are ranked first in the league in pass defense (139.6 yards per game) and are the only team to not allow a pass of at least 40 yards. The longest reception they’ve allowed was a 31-yarder to Jacksonville’s Marqise Lee last week.

Rush defense is another matter. The Steelers have allowed six running plays of 20-plus yards, including a 50-yarder in Baltimore and a 90-yard touchdown to Jaguars’ rookie Leonard Fournette.

“With him, I just want him to catch the ball coming back toward the quarterback,” said cornerback Joe Haden, who has never played against Hill. “None of those double moves, none of that stuff over the top.”

The Steelers did a good job against Hill in two games last season. He had five catches for 24 yards and one rush for minus-2 yards in the Steelers blowout victory at Heinz Field in Week 4. He had four catches for 27 yards and three rushes for18 yards in the playoff meeting. His longest play against the Steelers was a 33-yard kick return in the first meeting.

Safety Mike Mitchell, who had to make two open-field tackles against Fournette in the 30-9 loss to the Jaguars, said “a lot of things have happened wrong” if he has to make tackles on long runs.

“I don’t plan for those things; I try to be alert for those things if and when they can potentially affect me,” Mitchell said. “If a run breaks, a run breaks. Usually a lot of negative things have already happened when that happens.”