The Kansas City Chiefs are officially back to being a nightmare for opposing defenses. After a 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins, the team sits at 3-0, tied with the Raiders atop the AFC West. It isn’t just about the wins, though. The way they are winning looks much more dangerous than last year.
The real story is the return of a balanced attack. For the first time in a long time, the run game is actually forcing defenses to respect the deep ball. According to Sports Illustrated, the Chiefs are using play-action on 19% of their plays this season. That is a jump from 17% last year. When that fake works, it kills the opponent. In Week 3, Patrick Mahomes was nearly perfect, going 11-for-12 on play-action passes and averaging 15.3 yards per attempt, per reports.
The Impact of Kenneth Walker III
Adding Kenneth Walker III changed the math for Andy Reid. The former Seattle Seahawks running back is already putting up massive numbers. Yahoo Sports reported that Walker III had 173 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Denver, followed by 117 yards in a win over Indianapolis. He even notched 70 yards against Miami on Sunday. He is currently the NFL’s leading rusher.
This ground game makes the whole offense move better. Patrick Mahomes said, “It’s helping out a ton.” He noted that people see the touchdowns for Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson, but they don’t see how the movement opens things up. The efficiency is there, too. The Chiefs offense hit a 54% success rate in Miami, which ranks in the 93rd percentile, per Sports Illustrated.
New Rhythm in the Passing Game
The receivers are feeling the benefits of this shift. Wide receiver Rashee Rice had seven catches for 88 yards in the Miami game. He observed that the run game greatly influences the game. Rice said that when it looks like a run, players just have to make the play downfield.
Travis Kelce is also seeing the benefits of a more downhill style. Per Chiefs Wire, Kelce credited the return of Eric Bieniemy and the addition of Walker for the team’s balance. “The play-action game is just a piece of it,” Kelce said. He believes the team is getting better at moving the line of scrimmage. He also mentioned the importance of staying in sync with Mahomes.
The stats show Mahomes is getting comfortable in a way we haven’t seen lately. On 28% of his dropbacks against Miami, he was operating from under center on play-action.
