Four Important Keys to Success for KC Chiefs in Second Half of Season
The Kansas City Chiefs' bye week is in the books, as the club is now focused on a looming Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 20.
A rematch of Super Bowl LVII not only serves as a high-profile contest for football lovers around the world to tune into, but it's also a good measuring stick for Kansas City. The Chiefs come out of the bye boasting a 7-2 record and one of the best defenses in the NFL, although the team has plenty of room to get better. Each side of the ball can improve in the second stretch of the 2023 season, which would go a long way in preparing the club for postseason play.
Four specific aspects stand out, so let's dive into a handful of keys to success for the Chiefs as they get back in the swing of things.
Pare down the wide receiving corps to the best rotation
Coming into the season, the Chiefs were confident that having as many as seven wide receivers in their rotation would be a strength. After all, being able to deploy so many options in different ways was bound to strike fear into opposing defenses... right? Not exactly. Nine games into the year, Kansas City has only been able to rely on veteran Justin Watson and rookie Rashee Rice atop the wideout room. Moving forward, narrowing that group down is a must.
The team may have hinted at such a thing before the bye, as second-year man Skyy Moore played a season-low 15 snaps in Germany against the Miami Dolphins. For the third consecutive week, Kadarius Toney saw his snap count dwindle and remain below 15. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, despite his struggles, continues to garner significant snaps. For better or worse, there might be a shifting of the wide receiver dynamic that partially coincides with Mecole Hardman coming back via trade. The rotational hierarchy against the Eagles could serve as a solid indicator of what Andy Reid and his staff want to unveil in the coming weeks. For better or worse, less may be more. It's time to pick a set of four players and roll with it.
Improve situational play-calling decisions
Kansas City's offense, for the most part, still compares favorably to a good chunk of other teams when looking at it from a wide lens. Zooming that microscope in, though, points out some of the warts of the Chiefs' attack. They're tied for 13th in touchdown percentage in the red zone, they seem to make short-yardage plays much trickier than needed and they lack consistency in offensive play-calling. All of those things are correctable, although the last game entering the bye didn't exactly inspire confidence.
Twice against the Dolphins, the Chiefs dialed up a second-and-10 run that gave the offense a third-and-long situation to work with. Late in the fourth quarter, Reid opted to pass on third-and-1 rather than use Isiah Pacheco to attempt a game-icing conversion on the ground. Kansas City's margin for error isn't what it used to be on the offensive side of the ball, and the duo of Reid and Matt Nagy hasn't helped matters. The coaching staff can do a bit more to help keep the unit out of disadvantageous positions down the stretch.
Shore up Steve Spagnuolo's run defense
In the past, the Chiefs have struggled on defense early in seasons in multiple aspects. This year, Spagnuolo's group is one of the five most efficient in the entire league and has avoided the early-season lull. The success is fueled by an excellent secondary, a versatile defensive front and a flexible corps of linebackers, but it's also thriving in spite of a run defense that is far from great. That's quite impressive.
Entering Week 11's play, the Chiefs surrender an average of 4.5 yards per rush attempt. That's the sixth-highest mark in the entire league. Additionally, Kansas City has the second-worst rush defense in the NFL by EPA/play standards and ranks 26th in success rate. The Denver Broncos are one of the few teams to institute a winning strategy against Kansas City by committing to the run so much, but the irony of the situation is that they averaged 3.8 yards per carry. This isn't something that should hold the defense back come playoff time, although it's interesting to see such a great unit struggle when opponents opt for run plays.
Find a better identity in the return game
This isn't an indictment of the job Dave Toub is doing, as the Chiefs currently rank sixth in the entire league in special teams DVOA. They also have one of the best kicker-punter duos in the sport. With that said, returners have struggled in 2023. Bringing back the second-fewest kickoffs of all 32 teams this season (4), Kansas City also has the second-lowest average on those efforts (17). When it comes to punt returns, the Chiefs are tied for 26th in average yards per return (7) and are tied with the New York Giants for the NFL lead in fumbles (4).
Things haven't been the most consistent for Kansas City, to be fair, considering that Richie James began the year as a trusted option and proceeded to go on the injured reserve list after two weeks. Montrell Washington was somewhat effective for a few weeks, then Hardman was acquired as a proposed solution. He's been anything but that aside from a nice bring-back in his first game with the team this year. Hardman provides the highest ceiling in the return game, so he should remain the go-to consideration there, but he and the kickoff/punt return units at large both need to be more consistent.
