Many wondered whether the Chiefs’ offense—their quarterback, specifically—would get past the Tyreek Hill trade. It turns out they were just fine. Alex_Prewitt on the five “rogue ninjas” who changed the K.C. offense for the better
Last spring, a hailstorm of hands-for-hires landed in the Chiefs’ receiving room, merging forces to help fill the star-sized hole left by the team’s trade of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. Never with Patrick Mahomes as its starting quarterback has Kansas City welcomed more than two new wideouts in an offseason.
That changed in the wake of said AFC title game, a disastrous 27–24 loss to the Bengals during which Mahomes completed 8 of 18 passes for just 55 yards, committed two turnovers and took four sacks in the second half and overtime. No single throw better reflected the passing game’s sudden struggles than Mahomes’s last attempt of that season, a deep heave intended for Hill in double coverage that was instead intercepted.
Left to “sit back and watch,” Christensen emerged with two main observations. One was the way Mahomes and Kelce embraced their role as educators. “Watching their maturation, how they drove the new guys like Valdes and JuJu, was quite enjoyable for me,” Christensen says. The other was how eager these new guys were to soak up knowledge in return. After one workout, Kelce stuck around to give some pointers to some young, locally based free agents who had booked the field next. Most of the K.C.
“Last year, teams could just double Kelce and double Tyreek and man up with our other guys,” Henne says. “We had so many plays designated for those two, and we wouldn’t really build upon it. And now, plays are designated for everybody. There are so many guys we can get the ball to in space.”Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Take, for instance, a play in the first quarter of Kansas City’s Week 12 win over the Rams, on second-and-7 from its 13. Seeing Los Angeles in a Cover-2 look, Moore took advantage of his room to improvise, wriggled outside and over the top of cornerback David Long, andto spark the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive of the day. “If we had run that play in camp, I probably would have gone inside of the corner, and [Mahomes] would’ve sat there, pump-faked it and looked elsewhere,” Moore says.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Iconic Cherry Hill Diner to be replaced by car washMembers of the Cherry Hill Planning Board voted 5-2 Tuesday night in favor of tearing down the Cherry Hill Diner.
Read more »
Critical fire danger triggers a red flag warning for San Antonio and the Hill CountryLow humidity and gusty winds will make for critical fire weather conditions, according to...
Read more »
Tiffany Hill nominated for National LifeChanger of the Year awardTiffany Hill is a first generation college student and was nominated by Elayne Sapp
Read more »
Marine, Air Force generals emerge as Joint Chiefs chairman contendersThe Biden administration has launched its search to find the next chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, landing on the top generals in the Air Force and the Marine Corps as leading contenders, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Read more »