Chiefs bowling over foes when blitzed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Football people love the film.
Ask a coach a question after a game and he will tell you he’s gotta watch the film. Ask a player a question about the upcoming opponent, and he will tell you what he sees on film.
Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, talks constantly about putting consistent behavior on film. When players talk about their performance, it’s often in terms of putting their resume on film.
The film don’t lie, they say, but what about when it does?
What about when it’s a bald-faced, hypocritical, can’t-trust-it-further-than-you-can-throw-it lying liar? Like it is for the Chiefs.
You know the Chiefs’ offense is different. Their quarterback is a unicorn, their top receiver is among the fastest humans on the planet, and their tight end will be in the Hall of Fame. They are different, is the point, so it makes sense that opponents defend them differently.
What the Chiefs see from a defense on film is only vaguely similar to what they see on the field.
“You can’t change everything,” Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said. “There’s not enough time in the week. The guys learn all the different formations and things they have to work to cover so there’s enough similar to where we can have a good base, and then we always work the blitz game.”
That’s true, but it undersells the point. Thirty-one teams might be sensibly defended similarly. The Chiefs are different, and this is true in many ways. The trendy strategy is to flood the field with defensive backs, and cover deep. Opponents often use more stunts to create pressure, particularly inside.
But there’s another trend that’s stretching to ridiculous lengths: Defenses are essentially scaredycats when it comes to blitzing the Chiefs.
This is particularly interesting this week, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense — run by coordinator Todd Bowles, a former assistant of Reid’s — is among the heaviest blitzers in the league. Don’t expect that against the Chiefs.
“It is different, mainly because of the speed and the weapons, who you’re putting in man-to-man,” Bucs Coach Bruce Arians said. “You still want to get pressure on the quarterback, try to get in his head a little bit as much as possible. But not put yourself in too much jeopardy, either.”
Nobody blitzes the Chiefs heavily. The numbers are absurd. The Ravens blitz on 48.3% of snaps this season, the highest rate in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Against the Chiefs? They blitzed half as often — 24.7%.
That’s not an anomaly. That’s the rule.
The Texans, Jets, Bills, Broncos and Chargers all blitz on at least 30% of snaps, ranking in the league’s top half. Each called less than half as many blitzes against the Chiefs. The Broncos blitzed just seven times, and the Chargers three.
The Bills — and this is just plain silly — blitzed once. That’s not a typo. The Bills have blitzed every other opponent an average of 14 times. Against the Chiefs, they did it once.
They have their reasons. It’s best not to challenge a bull’s strength, or to cover yourself in blood to swim with a shark.
Patrick Mahomes is great in virtually any situation football provides, but blitzing unlocks his superpowers: He’s completing 71.4% against blitzes, averaging 9.0 yards per attempt for 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Put it another way: 65% of an opponent’s blitzes have ended with Mahomes throwing for a first down or touchdown.
Where most human quarterbacks see pressure coming and passing lanes closing against blitzes, Mahomes sees opportunity.
“You have to prepare for everything, that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “If we get different coverages and we get more shell type coverages we can execute against that, too.”
This is more than a one-week thing against the Bucs, too. The Steelers are also among the NFL’s blitz-heaviest teams, and remain undefeated and are a potential playoff opponent.
The more the Chiefs attack like nobody else, the more defenses have to defend them like nobody else. One more advantage: pulling opponents away from what they do best.