In the Kansas City Chiefs’ 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs’ offense drove up and down the field against Los Angeles’ defense for 422 yards, the second-most in a single game this season. Kansas City racked up 523 yards in a Week 2 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts.
However, Kansas City scored a season-low 22 points. It points to an underrated issue so far this season: failed third-and-fourth-down conversions in the red zone.
The Chiefs advanced inside the Chargers’ two-yard line three times in Week 6, but managed only seven points.
In the second quarter, with a six-point lead, quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled away from the line of scrimmage and forced a throw into the back of the end zone. The ball was intercepted, spoiling a third-and-goal opportunity from the two-yard line. Then the Chiefs could have put the game away in the third quarter with fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. Running back Kenneth Walker was stuffed at the goal line.
In his post-game press conference, head coach Andy Reid addressed the red-zone shortcomings that kept a winless Chargers team in the game into the fourth quarter.
“We spent time on the short yardage, and we didn’t do very good on it today,” Reid acknowledged at the podium. “So, we’ve got to figure that out and get that straightened out. You’re down in there for a couple more touchdowns, and in the goal-line situations, you’ve got to score on short yardage.”
On Mahomes’ interception, his third of the season, Reid said the quarterback was “trying to get it out of the end zone,” but didn’t because he was falling backward. He also noted that the play he called wasn’t set up for that coverage.
When asked about the play after Sunday’s game, Mahomes explained his thought process in looking for wide receiver Andrew Armstrong along the back line of the end zone.
“Obviously, a ball you can’t throw like that,” Mahomes said at the podium. “The look wasn’t what we wanted, but we had an option, and it was Armstrong, and it happened faster than I expected it, and so instead of just staying with it and throwing it then, I started scrambling, and then I did what you’re not supposed to do. I was trying to throw it away, but at the same time, trying to give him a chance and then getting hit, left it short and so you just can’t do that, especially with how our defense was playing.”
On Monday, Reid reiterated that the Chargers had the Chiefs’ number on that specific play.
“They got us on the pass one,” Reid clarified. “So that was a good job by them.”
When Reid was asked about Walker being stuffed before the scoring line on fourth-and-goal, he was clear with his message about where things could improve.
“We gotta be very consistent with our blocking in those areas if we’re going to run the football,” Reid said. “With the slant game going on, we can’t miss a body there; gotta get a body on a body.”
A closer look at the failed run play shows left tackle Kahlil Benson failed to “get a body on a body” on the Power run. The Chargers slant away from the run, setting up for down blocks. No. 92 of Los Angeles is too quick off the line, getting past Benson’s down-block attempt and keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, blowing up the run play and right guard Trey Smith’s pulling attempt.
With another injury on the offensive line to consider — right tackle Jaylon Moore entered concussion protocol during the first half against Los Angeles — Reid understands the play-calling needs to keep the personnel on the field in mind, while hinting that the personnel knows it can be better on specific plays.
“We have to block better on some, but at the same time, it’s our responsibility to keep with what works,” Reid said. “I’m always going to take the blame on that; we can put the guys in a better position to do their job, but I think if you talk to the guys, I think they’re going to tell you, ‘We have to block it better when we run the football there.’”
Mahomes weighed in on seeing runs stuffed, whether against the Chargers or on the Week 3 drive-ending fourth-and-short run against the Miami Dolphins. He also pointed out that running back Kenneth Walker’s 33-yard run came on third-and-one.
“Whenever stuff’s not pretty, you’ve got to be able to just push it and get the first down,” Mahomes shared. “I think that’s the biggest thing, and it’s not always going to be pretty. We have the short yardage where we score a long touchdown, and then we have the short yardage where we didn’t get there with the push and stuff like that, and so we’ll continue to work on it.”
If the Chiefs need a push, one player it can seemingly get behind is left guard Kingsley Suamataia. After being benched for the Week 4 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, he came back and was one of Kansas City’s most impactful blockers in Week 6. He paved the way for Walker’s 13-yard run on this play.