Key takeaways from first half of Chiefs vs. Buccaneers
That was about as good of a first half as you’ll see from a team offensively, with Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill airing the ball out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ve combined for over 200 yards and two scores, with most of that coming in the first quarter. Surprisingly, this game feels like the Kansas City Chiefs should be winning by more, but the score is 20-7 heading into the half.
Here’s a look at some of the things we’ve taken away from the first half of play:
Pressure from literally anyone
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The Chiefs have themselves a bit of a pressure problem. They've struggled to put the pressure on Tom Brady in this game, particularly when a number of defensive linemen have 1-on-1 matchups. The golden rule of pass rush is that you need to win when you're left on an island. The guys in Kansas City haven't been able to do that on a consistent basis. Chris Jones is getting mauled by multiple offensive linemen and it's creating opportunities for other guys, but they're not capitalizing. The best rush came on a linebacker blitz from Anthony Hitchens. Tanoh Kpassagnon had a good rush too, getting his hands up to affect the trajectory of a pass from Brady. They need to find a way to turn some of these into sacks.
Chiefs need to get creative on 3rd-and-short situations
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Earlier this week Eric Bieniemy said that the Buccaneers defensive front is the best they've faced so far this season. During the first two offensive possessions of the game, the Chiefs saw exactly how tough it is to run on that front with short down and distance to gain. The team needs to get a bit more creative in their approach to these situations because lining up and running for a yard or two against this front is going to be tough. If they're going to do that, they need window dressing to get some Bucs defender hesitating and off of their spot. Sending a receiver or tight end in motion could help. Really they just need to add anything that will get the defense thinking that a pass might happen.
Keep feeding Tyreek Hill
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tyreek Hill absolutely annihilated the Buccaneers defense in the first quarter of the game. To put Hill's monster half in perspective, he had more yards in the first quarter against Tampa than any receiver has recorded in a full game this season. It's the most yards recorded in a single quarter since back in 2006 when Buffalo Bills WR Lee Evans went off for 205 yards against the Houston Texans. Sammy Watkins is actually third on the list with 151 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. Hill saw some deep passes come his way in that first quarter, but the Buccaneers have since adjusted. They're taking away the deep third of the field, but they're leaving a lot open underneath and up the seams. The Chiefs need to find a good way to keep feeding Hill without sending him deep.
