SI Article: Chiefs need to change from efficient to explosive on offense

[FloridaMan88]

Can’t they be both… efficiently explosive?

Link: https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs-facing...e-travis-kelce

Whether Travis Kelce decides to play in 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs must come to the same conclusion: They have to move onto their next phase.

No, they don’t have to release Kelce, although doing so would save $17.2 million in cap space. Kelce, 35, is too valuable and too important in the locker room to make such a choice, even with those savings.

However, the Chiefs must understand that to move forward, to attempt to reach a fourth consecutive Super Bowl (and sixth in seven years), the offense has to change. It has to go through receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, with Kelce being nothing more than a component.

Over the past two seasons, Kansas City has enjoyed immense success. The Chiefs have reached both Super Bowls and won one, to say nothing about winning it all in 2022 as well. All of this came after the team traded All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, but the metamorphosis from explosive to egregiously slow didn’t happen right away.

In fact, the slowdown began in 2021. After ranking sixth, 10th and 13th, respectively, from ’18 to ’20 in average depth of target (ADOT), Patrick Mahomes checked in at 24th in Hill’s last campaign with the club as opponents began to play more shell coverages.

In 2022, the first year without Hill, Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards and earned MVP honors. However, his ADOT was still 23rd in the league. The following year, it took a nosedive to 30th as Kansas City relied heavily on poor wideouts, including Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney.

This past season? Mahomes failed to throw for 4,000 yards for the first time in his career while ranking 41st in ADOT, only ahead of Gardner Minshew II and Tua Tagovailoa. Part of the reason was losing Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown early on to injuries, but another problem was the overreliance on Kelce.

Over the past two years, Kelce has been targeted 254 times. Rice is second on the team over that span with 131 targets despite playing just four games this season. Nobody else cracked 100. Despite that, Kelce hasn’t made either All-Pro team or gained 1,000 receiving yards after seven straight seasons of doing both before 2023.

Of course, the dependence on Kelce is also due to a factor that should keep general manager Brett Veach awake at night … the issues at left and right tackle.

And for Veach, that’s where the offseason focus must be.

For Mahomes to get back to his fire-breathing ways, the Chiefs have to fix their issues at left tackle. While Jawaan Taylor is financially locked in for one more year (before Kansas City almost certainly releases him to save $20 million prior to 2026), the other side has options.

The Chiefs, who have approximately $11.5 million in cap space, can open up another $50 million to $60 million with an extension for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, a restructure of Mahomes’s mega-deal and adding a void year to Kelce’s pact. With that money, Veach could re-sign Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith and then shop for a left tackle in free agency as Alaric Jackson, Ronnie Stanley and Cam Robinson are all available.

Veach could also go another direction. He could use the third-round pick acquired from the Tennessee Titans in the L’Jarius Sneed trade last offseason (No. 66) to move up in the first round for an answer on the blindside. By saving tens of millions by drafting a left tackle instead of signing one, perhaps Veach could get in the receiver business.

With Worthy and Rice on cheaper rookie deals for a few more years, would Veach entertain trying to add another big name on the outside? There are a host of free-agent receivers worth discussing at One Arrowhead Drive, ranging from Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin to Stefon Diggs.

For Kansas City, the offensive ethos must change. For years, the Chiefs struck fear into defenses. Mahomes could go over the top at any moment. Most importantly, every throw was on the board. Now, the Chiefs are throwing shorter than any team in football, and the result was the 17th-ranked scoring offense and a unit that led the league in plays per drive.

Efficiency is good. Explosiveness is better.

And that doesn’t only go for the receivers. If the line is improved, the running backs should also be overhauled. While Isiah Pacheco is a quality player, he’s also missed 13 games over the past two years and is hitting free agency in 2026. Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine are both free agents now.

For Veach, the draft class presents a cornucopia of options in the backfield, with running back being one of the strongest positions of this rookie crop. Kansas City would be wise to take someone on Day 2, giving the Chiefs speed in a way they haven’t enjoyed at tailback since the days of Jamaal Charles.

Ultimately, Kansas City needs to get faster across the board, and it needs to rediscover the ability to play aggressively. For years, the Chiefs and Mahomes have eschewed the intermediate and deep routes for smaller, surer gains. It’s hard to argue with most of the results, but Super Bowl LIX also showed that without a better line and some weapons to back defenses off, disaster is always looming against a quality opponent.

Kelce might play in 2025. His decision hasn’t been made. Fair enough.

But if the Chiefs want to taste glory once more and keep their dynasty rolling, Kelce’s choice pales in comparison to the other tasks at hand.

[JohnnyV13]

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

I really hope they use the resources necessary to get Mahomes going again. 3 years with Mahomes in his prime not being in the MVP conversation is mismanagement of the offense.

I totally agree. At the same time, in 2013 we were smart enough to realize the solution to the QB hole wasn't available even though we had the no. 1 overall pick. Looking back, Alex Smith was probably the best available option.

We would have been worse off if we tried to force a solution because we needed a QB. This is where good personnel evaluation plus discipline pays off.

[wannaGOback]

The chiefs attempted to be the most explosive they have been all year in the Super Bowl with their route concepts. It backfired because they didn’t account for the eagles speed. The more annoying thing is they didn’t abandon this plan at all. Only mixing in a few different looks after the game was 24-0, but still going back to the original plan even then.

That’s just incompetency on the OC part. Nagy has to go. There has to be a better plan and a more decisive pivot situationally.

[seamonster]

Originally Posted by wannaGOback

The chiefs attempted to be the most explosive they have been all year in the Super Bowl with their route concepts. It backfired because they didn’t account for the eagles speed. The more annoying thing is they didn’t abandon this plan at all. Only mixing in a few different looks after the game was 24-0, but still going back to the original plan even then.

That’s just incompetency on the OC part. Nagy has to go. There has to be a better plan and a more decisive pivot situationally.

I didn't see anything wrong with the offense. If you're beating a Fangio underneath zone defense concept, which is what it looks like you're advocating for, than you have to have the timing down to get the ball thrown into windows. Hard to do that when there's no left tackle and a traffic cone at left guard. And I wasn't that impressed with the eagles speed. They were letting sub 4.3 receivers get open deep down the field without safety help. They were gambling. Mahomes just wasn't willing to pull the trigger. And I blame part of that on the lack of protection and the lack of timing the offense had. No game plan can cover for a void at left tackle and terrible guard play. You can't run the ball effectively and you can't throw on time.

[Red Dawg]

The OL stinks. Nothing else will matter until those changes are made.

[Garcia Bronco]

You can't just change to explosive versus the Fangio Cover 6. You have to run the ball.

SI...when I want to hear and read bad takes, it's the first place I think to go. Just awful.

[wannaGOback]

Originally Posted by seamonster

I didn't see anything wrong with the offense. If you're beating a Fangio underneath zone defense concept, which is what it looks like you're advocating for, than you have to have the timing down to get the ball thrown into windows. Hard to do that when there's no left tackle and a bad left guard. And I wasn't that impressed with the eagles speed. They were letting sub 4.3 receivers get open deep down the field without safety help. They were gambling. Mahomes just wasn't willing to pull the trigger. And I blame part of that on the lack of protection and the lack of timing the offense had. No game plan can cover for a void at left tackle and terrible guard play. You can't run the ball effectively and you can't throw on time.

The speed of their edge rushers. And if you didn’t see a problem with an offense that put up 40 yards, 3 first downs, and 0 points in the first 43 minutes of play, I don’t know what to tell you.

That isn’t just a personnel issue. That’s slamming your head into a brick wall repeatedly and expecting the wall to break before you skull does.

[seamonster]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

You can't just change to explosive versus the Fangio Cover 6. You have to run the ball.

SI...when I want to hear and read bad takes, it's the first place I think to go. Just awful.

Disagree... The Eagles safeties were cheating on their underneath zone while their corner backs were going straight zone-match\man on the receivers running the vertical route. They absolutely could have been thrown on and that's what eventually happened.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

You can't just change to explosive versus the Fangio Cover 6. You have to run the ball.

SI...when I want to hear and read bad takes, it's the first place I think to go. Just awful.

The article isn't specific to the one game.

It was the worst offensive year of the Mahomes era and that could be attributed in large part to LT play and an ADOT that ranked 41st.

[seamonster]

Originally Posted by wannaGOback

The speed of their edge rushers. And if you didn’t see a problem with an offense that put up 40 yards, 3 first downs, and 0 points in the first 43 minutes of play, I don’t know what to tell you.

That isn’t just a personnel issue. That’s slamming your head into a brick wall repeatedly and expecting the wall to break before you skull does.

Players were getting to their spots and there were chances. Hopkins was wide open down the middle of the field for something like a sixteen yard gain when Mahomes made the ill-advised pick six throw. Because he's having to rollout to his right he couldn't get the ball out on time and wound up misjudging the nickle corner. That kind of shit was happening all night. Eagles defensive line was too good to be playing around with these woeful band aids.

[PunkinDrublic]

I thought Adam Teicher retired.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Middlekauf was a scout for Andy in Philly. Still talks to Veach like Louis Riddick does.

He thinks they’re gonna be busy

.@johnmiddlekauff wouldn't be surprised if the Chiefs take HUGE swings this offseason in this week's @microsoft Chasing Challenges pic.twitter.com/59x7Jo7PP2

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) February 12, 2025

Honestly, though -- just how big a swing is there to take?

What "wow, they did WHAT?!" sort of move would be out there. I guess a big trade for Garrett but that doesn't seem their style. Would even a trade for Tyreek Hill really shock anyone?

There's nobody that they can realistically cut that would surprise you. If they don't pay Bolton or Smith, that wouldn't shock anyone either.

I mean...I just don't see what they can do that would really set my hair on fire. Thuney, Smith and Creed are all guys with contracts that all but assure they're Chiefs next season, Jones and Mahomes are Jones and Mahomes. They're giving Kelce time to 'decide what he wants to do' which means they'd bring him back if they he wanted to come back.

I just don't see a slate of available shocking possibilities.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Honestly, though -- just how big a swing is there to take?

What "wow, they did WHAT?!" sort of move would be out there. I guess a big trade for Garrett but that doesn't seem their style. Would even a trade for Tyreek Hill really shock anyone?

There's nobody that they can realistically cut that would surprise you. If they don't pay Bolton or Smith, that wouldn't shock anyone either.

I mean...I just don't see what they can do that would really set my hair on fire. Thuney, Smith and Creed are all guys with contracts that all but assure they're Chiefs next season, Jones and Mahomes are Jones and Mahomes. They're giving Kelce time to 'decide what he wants to do' which means they'd bring him back if they he wanted to come back.

I just don't see a slate of available shocking possibilities.

Karlaftis and our first to Dallas for Micah.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

Karlaftis and our first to Dallas for Micah.

Okay...that would turn my head, yes.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by wannaGOback

The chiefs attempted to be the most explosive they have been all year in the Super Bowl with their route concepts. It backfired because they didn’t account for the eagles speed. The more annoying thing is they didn’t abandon this plan at all. Only mixing in a few different looks after the game was 24-0, but still going back to the original plan even then.

That’s just incompetency on the OC part. Nagy has to go. There has to be a better plan and a more decisive pivot situationally.

Just ****ing stop. Everybody knows how you feel about Nagy. There's no need to spam every thread with it.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

You can't just change to explosive versus the Fangio Cover 6. You have to run the ball.

SI...when I want to hear and read bad takes, it's the first place I think to go. Just awful.

The concept of running the ball is correct, but running for 1-2 yards with punchless RB’s would ultimately have done nothing.

Need explosive RB’s.