Kansas City Chiefs: Midterm grades for 2019 season

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 27: Fireworks go off during the national anthem, prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 27: Fireworks go off during the national anthem, prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 9
Next
Martinas Rankin #74 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cameron Erving #75 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Martinas Rankin #74 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cameron Erving #75 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

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.

C+. . LT. Kansas City Chiefs. CAM ERVING

ANDREW WYLIE. B-. . LG. Kansas City Chiefs

B-. . LG. Kansas City Chiefs. MARTINAS RANKIN

B-. . C. Kansas City Chiefs. AUSTIN REITER

B-. . RG. Kansas City Chiefs. LAURENT DUVERNARY-TARDIF

. RT. Kansas City Chiefs. MITCHELL SCHWARTZ. B-

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.