KC Chiefs: Five keys to victory vs Texans in Divisional Round
By Gage Stagner
Number 1 – Keep it simple on offense and keep the foot on the gas
The single biggest threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason year in and year out has been themselves. Andy Reid is notorious for not coming through in the playoffs and that starts with his time management and ends with his play calling.
Kansas City fans witnessed the Andrew Luck game in the 2013 playoffs, the Titans game in the 2017 playoffs, and honestly the list could go on with how many games they’ve blown. Reid isn’t totally to blame, but his lack of stepping on an opponent’s neck has absolutely killed the Chiefs since he’s taken over as coach in 2013.
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Reid constantly loses to teams in the regular season and playoffs due to his lack of consistent play calling and egregious timeout usage. For the Chiefs to get to where they want to be, Andy Reid must be better. They may be able to win this game with his head-scratching game management, but the play calling, especially if the Chiefs get ahead quick, must be better for a win.
Whether it be the totality of injuries or Patrick Mahomes‘ specific knee and ankle issues, the offense has not looked the same as last year. They have been extremely high-powered, but they lack the potent ability to score at any time, something they had every possession they had the ball last season.
It could be Reid wanting to hold back his guys for the postseason, but history tells us that would be naive to suggest. The horsepower needs to be let out of the garage, no more fancy trick plays or pick routes. NFL fans have seen what the offense is capable of when clicking on all cylinders and we have only witnessed it a few times at the beginning of the season.
The Kansas City offense has been one of the best this season, even if it hasn’t reached it’s ceiling like last year. For it to reach its peak, there needs to be more down-field shots to Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, which will open up running lanes and underneath routes for Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce.
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It is simple, and Andy Reid showed us just how easy it was last year to to put up 40 to 50 points a game. If they get a lead early, Reid must keep taking shots and constantly putting absolute pressure on the Houston secondary while keeping the ground game at 4-5 yards per carry.