Kansas City Chiefs: Offensive line could have tough time against Broncos
The Kansas City Chiefs have been on fire to start the season, but the injuries along the offensive line could become a bigger problem than people are expecting.
When the 2018 season started for the Kansas City Chiefs, the offensive line, from left to right, looked like this: Eric Fisher, Cameron Erving, Mitch Morse, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, and Mitchell Schwartz. Fisher, Erving, and Schwartz are all still at their respective positions, but center and right guard have both been shuffled a bit due to injuries.
LDT was the first of the offensive line to go down, as he was injured in week five against the Jaguars. He’s currently on the injured reserve while Andrew Wylie has replaced him at right guard.
In the week six loss against the Patriots, Mitch Morse left the game with a concussion and missed last week’s start. Morse has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Broncos and to make matters worse, HIS backup, Jordan Devey, recently landed on the injured reserve.
With Mitch Morse OUT on Sunday, Austin Reiter will start at center
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 26, 2018
This now means the Chiefs are rolling with third stringer Austin Reiter as their starting center. It’s a bit surprising that the Chiefs didn’t shift Erving over from left guard to center (the position in which he was drafted as by the Browns in 2015), but they must have their reasons.
More from Kansas City Chiefs
- How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
- The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule
- DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
- Fan-Favorite Locks Up Chiefs Roster Spot With Stellar Preseason Performance
- DraftKings NFL Kansas Promo: Bet $5 on Chiefs vs. Saints, Win $150 Bonus!
Kansas City’s offensive line has been pretty good this season for the most part, only allowing quarterback Patrick Mahomes to be sacked eight times through seven games. While yes, some of that is due to the protection of the line, the other part is that Mahomes doesn’t hold onto the ball very long. That’s something Alex Smith was certainly guilty of and why his sack numbers were significantly higher.
This weekend, however, Mahomes might be getting sacked more than twice a game (which has been a career high for him to this point), as A) The offensive line is banged up and B) The Broncos have a deadly pass rush, led by Von Miller and rookie Bradley Chubb.
The Chiefs also have a third string center suiting up on Sunday and that’s definitely something to keep an eye on. The center is the eyes and ears of the offensive line and it’s a good thing this game is at Arrowhead, otherwise that could have been disastrous. Reiter could end up being a great option, but until we see him in action, it’s difficult not to be worried about him.
With how much Morse has battled injuries throughout his time in the league, should KC sign him to an extension? When he plays, he’s great at center, but it appears he’s injured more often than not these days. For what it’s worth, Jordan Devey did a fine job in his absence.
The offensive line doesn’t get any love, but people will jump on them when there’s no protection for the quarterback. Hopefully Reiter and the rest of the line gel just fine and Mahomes doesn’t get pressured/hit/sacked much at all on Sunday. We need our quarterback upright please.