There are hundreds of reasons a team loses a match in any sport, For the Kansas City Chiefs, one of those reasons could be production on third down.
For years the Kansas City Chiefs have been a team that often looks better than they actually are. The 2017 season is no different for the Chiefs. What looked like a team that was Super Bowl bound now looks as good as the bottom feeders of the league. The thing that stood out to me in the loss to the N.Y. Giants was all about third down. Leave a comment if you noticed it as well.
Third down, it’s the most important down in football. It dictates what a team is going to be doing next. It’s very much the difference between offense and defense. Success on third down usually culminates into a win, meaning if you are successful on third down, you win. The Kansas City Chiefs were not successful on third down against the Giants, as you see on the layout before you.
Third and done
- 3rd and 5: Alex Smith sacked for a two yard loss (negated by defensive penalty)
- 3rd and 6: Smith short pass to Charcandrick West for one yard
- 3rd and 4: Smith sacked for a one yard loss
- 3rd and 9: incomplete pass short to Travis Kelce
- 3rd and 2: incomplete pass deep to Ross Travis
- 3rd and 10: incomplete pass short to Ross Travis
- 3rd and 7: incomplete pass short to Demetrius Harris
- 3rd and 4: Kareem Hunt rushed for one yard
- 3rd and 10: Smith short pass to West for three yards
Now these are just the unsuccessful attempts, but there should be a few things that jump out at you like you’re reading a pop-up book.
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The first of these would be that classic Alex Smith/Andy Reid combo that throws one yard when you need nine on third down. It’s perfectly reasonable to run whichever play you want on first and second down. On third and long that one yard dump off isn’t going to work. It will not work because it’s 3rd and long, you need yards to succeed.
The second issue that’s quite obvious is the personnel selection. Charcandrick West, Demetrius Harris, and Ross Travis? Ross Travis was the targeted receiver on two separate third down plays. A third and short play where Smith went deep to Ross and a third and long where Smith threw short to Ross. Both were incomplete passes.
Pass protection looks like an issue throughout the game, on third down it can be a game killer and a momentum staller. Though it would be nice to see some more runs in there, keep in mind we did gain some first downs on third down.
Third and some
- 3rd and one: Kareem Hunt rushed for seven yards
- 3rd and two: Alex Smith rushed for two yards
- 3rd and five: Alex Smith scrambled for six yards
That’s all folks. The one difference you could try to take from this is that the Chiefs utilized their best players to get the job done.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are not anywhere close to being one of the worst teams on third down percentage, coming out of the weekend ranked 11th. These issues are trending for Kansas City however. It appears that the Chiefs have a case of over thinking on their hands.