Arrowhead Pride
Could Kansas City evolve into the kind of offensive scheme with which Detroit has been so successful?
Every three or four years, NFL personnel, schemes and coaching staffs change — so teams must be able to adapt to how football is now being played around the league.
We’ve seen this with the Kansas City Chiefs. When quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over in 2018, the team built its offense around speed at wide receiver — and Mahomes’ ability to throw downfield. The Chiefs were consistently getting five players out on routes while offensive tackles were on islands, focused on pass protection.
So when defenses began running more two-high safety coverages to limit explosive plays, Kansas City evolved by becoming less dependent on its speedy receivers, investing more into the offensive line and playing more 12 and 13 personnel to mix in the running game. In 2022 — when that scheme worked best — it largely depended on the play of tight end Travis Kelce.
After the team’s loss in Super Bowl LIX, another evolution could be coming. Kelce is now exiting his prime; he just isn’t as viable as the engine of the passing offense. Younger wide receivers like Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy are now being featured.
How might Kansas City adapt this time?
It occurs to me that the Chiefs might consider becoming more like the Detroit Lions’ offense, which has arguably been the league’s best over the last two years. With their current personnel, I think the Chiefs could run that kind of an offense.
Let’s consider how the Lions do it.
Detroit’s offense starts and ends with its running game and offensive line. While the Lions mostly play 11 personnel, they still get great run looks, using an athletic, physical offensive line that can run any rushing scheme. Their linemen can easily toggle between approaches, depending on how the opposing defense is playing them. Running back David Montgomery runs between the tackles, while Jahmyr Gibbs is used in space on pitch plays or outside zone runs.
The passing game’s concepts are built from the running game. Detroit calls plenty of under-center play-action that targets the middle of the field, where wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is used on crossers or dig routes from the slot. Wideout Jameson Williams is the burner who wins downfield. Tight end Sam LaPorta runs underneath in the flats and on short drag routes.
Every passing concept uses some vertical stretch, an intermediate route and someone leaking late underneath to give defenses a three-level look. The Lions also use motion to get advantageous matchups and free releases for their receivers.
On third down, Detroit spreads their formations more, using motion and formational stacks to get the same advantages they have on early downs.
I first had this idea when thinking about player comparisons for Rice — and St. Brown came to mind. When the Kansas City wide receiver...
