Arrowhead Pride
In a crucial game, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-20 in overtime, keeping Chiefs Kingdom’s postseason hopes alive.
Let’s look at how Kansas City used its players.
Starters (offensive): WR Xavier Worthy, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor, TE Travis Kelce, WR Rashee Rice, QB Patrick Mahomes and RB Kareem Hunt.
Starters (defensive): DE George Karlaftis, DT Derrick Nnadi, DT Chris Jones, DE Michael Danna, LB Drue Tranquill, LB Nick Bolton, DB Chamarri Conner, CB Christian Roland-Wallace, CB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylen Watson and S Bryan Cook.
Did not play: QB Gardner Minshew
Inactive: CB Joshua Williams, RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Jalen Royals, TE Jared Wiley, RB Elijah Mitchell and OL Wanya Morris.
The Chiefs recognized that this matchup with the Colts would be a slugfest likely won by the more physical team. On both sides of the ball, the running game was crucial for Kansas City to stay in the fight — despite trailing for the entirety of regulation.
On offense, the Chiefs were clearly committed to chipping away at the pass-minded Indianapolis defense with running back Kareem Hunt; he set a career high with 30 rushing attempts. As a unit, run plays were called at a higher rate (45%) than the previous two games against the Denver Broncos (23%) and the Buffalo Bills (34%) — despite similar game scripts.
The dedication to running was the right formula against Colts’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. His strategy to prioritize coverage softened his ability to stuff handoffs. It led to long drives that chewed up game clock and tired out Indianapolis defenders. That helped the passing windows open up in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Kansas City ran 92 plays total, 15 more than any other game this season. Overtime contributed to the margin — but even if the game ended in regulation, it still would have been a season high.
The Chiefs’ commitment to the run game did not feature tight end Noah Gray; he was on the field for just 34% of the offensive snaps. It was a significantly lower rate than any other game this season, although it’s worth noting that Gray was playing hampered, then entered concussion protocol after a heroic reception in overtime.
In Gray’s place, the Chiefs relied on wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster like a second tight end in certain formations. He was on the field for 59% of the team’s run plays, the highest mark he has recorded since wide receiver Rashee Rice returned from suspension. His strengths as a blocker are allowing the team to run the ball without sacrificing receiving personnel.
The running mindset shifted the Chiefs’ depth chart at wide receiver for this game: Smith-Schuster had the third-most snaps of the position, while Hollywood Brown placed fourth with just 35% of the offensive snaps.
Behind a stifling run defense, the Chiefs’ back end had one...
