The Chiefs leaned into an old look on Monday night, and it paid off in a big way. Kansas City put Patrick Mahomes under center far more often than it usually does, then rode the running game to a win over Denver while also nudging a bigger NFL trend forward.
Per Bill Barnwell of ESPN, the Chiefs were under center for 43.3 percent of their snaps. That’s part of a leaguewide shift, but Kansas City is using it a little differently than some of the other teams doing the same thing.
This wasn’t about a pretty zone-running menu. It was about power, with RB Kenneth Walker III pounding between the tackles and the Chiefs using force to make Denver pay.
Barnwell and Ben Solak noted that Walker finished with more rushing yards under center than any Chiefs back has had in a game in the last decade. Kansas City also repeatedly brought in a second blocker on defensive tackle Zach Allen, helping Walker take advantage of the smaller bodies elsewhere in the Broncos defense.
Still, this isn’t a finished product. Mahomes has spent years operating from the shotgun, and Barnwell noted that the Chiefs had averaged being under center just 21 percent of the time before this season. That matters because the quarterback’s field reads change, and one of those reads went sideways on the interception on a deep throw to Xavier Worthy, who was clearly not on the same page with the route.
That could simply be Mahomes knocking off rust after a long layoff, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Andy Reid said the main reason for the change was that linebackers and safeties weren’t respecting Kansas City’s play-action game. The Chiefs haven’t had a real running threat in years, and defenses dropping quickly into coverage made life tougher on the shorter throws that have been Mahomes’ bread and butter since the Tyreek Hill trade.
Now comes the adjustment from the other side. The Colts should see plenty of loaded boxes when they visit Sunday, especially after giving up 202 yards rushing in their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
From here, the chess match is about whether Kansas City can keep selling play action and keep Mahomes moving forward in this system. Monday night suggested the answer might be yes. He looked lively, and that 15-yard scramble that led to the Chiefs’ first touchdown was a reminder that he can still stress defenses in more ways than one.
It sets up a tricky matchup for both teams, though the Chiefs look better positioned to handle it. The Colts are still a hard team to pin down after becoming a week-to-week mystery last year before quarterback Daniel Jones got hurt.
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