Chiefs' Offensive Line Ranked Among NFL's Five Best During Bye Week

Despite some inconsistency at a couple of spots, the Chiefs' front five is held in high regard as KC has its bye week.

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey (52) celebrates after a victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, many expected the Kansas City Chiefs to have one of the very best offensive lines in football. With four of five starters returning and rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia showing progress at training camp, such a projection only made sense.

Five games into the 2024-25 campaign, the line has been anything but elite at times. At others, however, the unit has jelled together and made a difference in both the run and passing games. Pro Football Focus, specifically, is a big fan of what Kansas City has going on.

In the outlet's Week 6 rankings of all 32 starting offensive lines, the Chiefs get the nod and rise two spots to crack the top five. It's a No. 4 ranking for the reigning Super Bowl champs, who trail only the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. Zoltán Buday dives into why the outlook on the Chiefs' front five is so high right now.

"Guard Joe Thuney surrendered just one pressure on 47 pass-blocking snaps in Kansas City’s win over New Orleans," Buday wrote. "As a result, he earned an 89.4 PFF pass-blocking grade, which led all guards in Week 5. Right guard Trey Smith has earned an 84.5 PFF run-blocking grade through five weeks, which ranks fifth in the NFL among 69 qualifying guards."

It's hard to not appreciate what the interior of Kansas City's offensive line is capable of. Not only does the trio of Thuney, center Creed Humphrey and Smith all have individual grades of 80 or more, but they also possess solo grades of at least 75 in run blocking. Humphrey is singled out by PFF as the best player along the line, further evidenced by a 93.7 composite grade that ranks second among all centers. Thuney is a top-10 guard in both pass blocking (79.4, 8th) and run blocking (75.7, 10th), and Smith's aforementioned run blocking grade is elite.

The question marks reside at both tackle spots. On the left side, Suamataia got benched following a rough Week 2 against Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. He's never been able to get his starting job back, although that doesn't mean Morris is a world-beater. In addition to a poor run blocking grade that ranks 98th out of 112 tackles, Morris is 68th in pass blocking grade despite an improved pressure rate relative to his rookie season.

Jawaan Taylor has fared better over at right tackle, yet he's still far from perfect. While he's maintained productivity as a pass blocker and improved in run blocking, the high-dollar signing remains a penalty magnet. As the Chiefs enter their bye week, Taylor is tied for third in the NFL with seven penalties credited to him. His five false starts trail only Houston Texans star Laremy Tunsil, who has seven in five games.

In this writer's opinion, the Chiefs' offensive line isn't one of the four best in the sport. With that said, quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn't helped that case much with his play. The two-time MVP has looked uncomfortable this season, sometimes creating pressure that doesn't exist or bailing from clean pockets too early. If he settles down, it will make everyone else look more proficient.

Kansas City is generally doing its job but at the same time, there's plenty of room to improve once the bye week passes.

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