KC Chiefs: Offensive line will be the deciding factor in Super Bowl LV
The KC Chiefs need their offensive line to come through against the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs have a banged up offensive line. It’s also no secret that the Buccaneers have a talented group up front defensively. This will be the matchup that decides the fate of Super Bowl LV.
While yes, the Chiefs’ offensive line has seen better days, the national media isn’t as familiar with the situation as Kansas City is. Both starting tackles are technically out for this game, but Mitchell Schwartz hasn’t played since Week 6 when he left early in the first quarter with that back injury he’s been dealing with all season.
Mike Remmers has filled in for Schwartz at right tackle and is going to be moved to left tackle due to Eric Fisher’s injury. Andrew Wylie will slide over at right tackle and these are where the questions come into play. Remmers has been solid at right tackle since Schwartz hasn’t been able to play, but the move to left tackle could make things a little more complicated.
Honestly, the reason why Remmers is getting hammered this week is because of his atrocious performance in Super Bowl 50 when he was a member of the Panthers’ offensive line. Von Miller wrecked Remmers that entire night and that’s the main reason people are even discussing Remmers and what his performance could look like in this game. It’s been five years since that game, however, and Remmers has played really well this season.
The rest of the line has shifted, but we’ve seen Nick Allegretti at left guard and Austin Reiter at center, and both have looked good. Chiefs fans aren’t concerned about Stefen Wisniewski playing right guard because he played left guard in last year’s Super Bowl and did well.
The KC Chiefs offensive line needs to play a flawless game.
It’s going to be important for this unit to bring their A-game because the guys trying to get to Patrick Mahomes are no joke. On the other side of the football will be the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Shaquil Barrett. JPP and Barrett are in the top five in sacks this postseason.
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Chiefs fans are aware of the mismatch but don’t seem concerned simply because of how last year’s Super Bowl went. The Chiefs o-line got rocked in that game against a much tougher offensive line and still won the game by double digits.
While this is certainly true, Patrick Mahomes wasn’t playing well in that Super Bowl until the final seven minutes. He had thrown two picks and didn’t look like his usual self. We could see a similar situation play out on Sunday if the Bucs manage to bulldoze their way through the KC offensive line and hit Mahomes.
This is obviously bad because no one wants to see Mahomes getting hit ever, but it also eliminates any deep threat potential. Tyreek Hill scorched the Bucs secondary in Week 12 and did so on the long ball, so it’s important the Chiefs have that available to them because it’s what they do best.
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The KC Chiefs should win this game, but the best chance the Bucs have at dethroning the reigning champs and preventing them from going back-to-back is to take advantage of the beat-up offensive line. If they can bullrush past this group and make Mahomes uncomfortable, this game is going to be a lot closer than Chiefs fans would like.