Kansas City Chiefs: Midterm grades for 2019 season
By Cullen Jekel
Offensive Line
Check out the individual grades for the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line, and then meet me at the bottom for an overall write-up.
Against the Colts, the line gave up four sacks while the rushing attack mustered only 36 yards. The offense that day just couldn’t get it going, a big reason why they lost 19-13.
The run game just isn’t there, and that could be because of several different things, such as play calling and the running back personnel, but a large percentage of it has to do with the offensive line. This group has been absent one of its anchors, left tackle Eric Fisher, for most of the season, and that hurts. Other injuries to Andrew Wylie and, possibly, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif also hurt.
Yet, let’s give this unit some credit: since that debacle against the Colts, Chiefs quarterbacks haven’t been sacked all that much: one against Houston, once against Denver, and twice against Green Bay. And, of course, the injury to Mahomes had absolutely nothing to do with this offensive line.
Could the unit improve? Sure. And it will when Fisher and Wylie get back to playing. Cameron Erving and Martinas Rankin are playing admirably in those guys’ spots, but the line is unquestionably better with Fisher and Wylie back in there.