KC Chiefs’ Offense Flew Past Wild Card Round Via a Simple Recipe

In their first playoff game of 2024, the Chiefs leaned into what many have campaigned for them to do for weeks.

The Kansas City Chiefs are moving on in the 2023-24 NFL postseason thanks to a 26-7 win over the Miami Dolphins. After things seemed within striking distance in the first half for the visitors, it was the hosts that pulled away in the final two frames and locked down a victory in dominant fashion. 

Unsurprisingly, Kansas City didn't find success by getting every member of its offense involved. For the most part, the performance was fueled by a steady diet of the pillars that have emerged.

Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's group amassed 409 total net yards against Miami on Saturday night, averaging 5.5 yards per play. The Chiefs' offense capped off six different drives with some sort of points, even while going 2-for-6 in the red zone and 1-for-3 in goal-to-go situations. Each of those scoring possessions can be traced back to a core four-pack of players: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice.

In the first half of play, Kansas City struck on a touchdown and three field goals. On its opening drive, a third-and-10 that previously would have served as a death sentence following back-to-back incompletions ended up being an 11-yard conversion to Kelce. Pacheco broke off rushes of 10 and 23 yards, with Rice ending things via touchdown. Rice was the star of the second scoring possession, recording a 23-yard reception and moving the chains on a third-and-seven near the red zone. Kelce (22-yard catch) and Mahomes (28-yard scramble on fourth-and-five) stood out in the ensuing drive that concluded with points. Rice's 39-yard jolt during a two-minute drill assisted in putting three more points on the board.

Coming out of the halftime locker room, Rice and Kelce each had a catch of 10-plus yards on a field goal drive. Mahomes scrambled for 13 yards on the same possession. The Chiefs' last touchdown drive saw Rice log a 28-yard catch on second-and-16 and Pacheco capped everything off with a game-sealing touchdown run. It was easy to see: Kansas City featured its best offensive players. Each and every time points were added, it was at least partially due to a key play from the stars. 

This is what many have campaigned for since Rice began to display progression within the offense. Of those aforementioned 409 yards, a staggering 331 of them came from the core: 89 rushing yards from Pacheco, 41 rushing yards from Mahomes and 201 combined receiving yards from the Rice-Kelce duo. That total made up just under 81% of Kansas City's output on Saturday, its highest split in a win all season long. 

Of course, some of that can be chalked up to variance. Kelce missed Week 1 due to injury and Pacheco missed Weeks 14 and 15 for the same reasons. None of the four players was on the field in the regular season finale. Earlier in the year, Rice was still adjusting to life in the NFL and simply wasn't ready for an enhanced role. You've heard it before, though — the playoffs are about peaking at the right time. With Kelce and Pacheco healthy, Mahomes consistently stepping his game up when it matters most and Rice gaining comfort by the game, this was a near-perfect storm.

Throughout the summer and into the early weeks of the current campaign, the Chiefs viewed having so many pieces as a positive. They thought everything would fall into place and that having so many interchangeable pass-catching options would keep opposing teams on their toes. Instead, Kansas City couldn't get out of its own way and was out of answers in several games this year. Sometimes, however, the best way to take a step forward is to merely take a step back to reevaluate and stick to the basics. That's what they did on Saturday.

While that core led the way in the Wild Card round, things will undoubtedly get tougher moving forward. The Chiefs' margin for error still isn't very wide, and Steve Spagnuolo's defense likely won't be quite as dominant as it was against the Dolphins. Miscues such as penalties, drops or not finishing routes could still cost Kansas City in the Divisional Round or later on (should they advance again). But as someone wrote back in October about Mahomes and Kelce occasionally being enough, leaning on the strongest pieces of the offense seems like a good idea. Others will be asked to answer the call, sure. On Saturday, this was sufficient and then some.

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