Chiefs go against type, play bully-ball to take Texans defense to the woodshed

The Texans wanted to keep Kansas City’s passing game in front of their defense. That worked, but it also unleashed a new power run game.

When the Texans put their defensive game plan together for their rematch of their defensive implosion in the 2019 divisional round, it was clear that things were going to be different. Instead of “challenging” Patrick Mahomes and his dynamic array of receivers with man coverage — a “strategy” that proved historically disastrous — new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver decided to play more zone defense. Specifically, zone defense with two deep safeties. The idea, as Weaver explained on Monday, was to keep everything in front of his outmatched secondary.

“I was hoping with all the COVID protocols that maybe they give us an extra player to play with on defense, but we couldn’t talk the league into that,” Weaver joked. “Obviously, they have a tremendous amount of skill players and it all starts with the quarterback. He makes it all go. Then the guys they have to throw the ball to, whether it’s [Travis] Kelce or Tyreek Hill, [Mecole)]Hardman, Sammy Watkins. You can’t have two guys on all of them. So, they present a tremendous challenge and we’re going just do our best to try to keep them in front of us and limit the explosive plays that they feed off of and try to get every time they touch the ball.”

Well, it worked — to a degree. In the first half, Mahomes completed 20 of 25 passes, but managed just 173 yards. He did throw two touchdown passes, but Weaver was able to limit what Mahomes usually likes to do.

In the first half, with less than 2.5 seconds to throw, Mahomes completed 10 of 11 passes for 78 yards and both touchdowns and a 135.8 passer rating, per Next Gen Stats. He wasn’t able to get anything deep going, and while that may have been a relative problem for Andy Reid’s offense in 2019, it isn’t now. The primary reasons for that? The acquisition of two players: First-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU, and free-agent offensive guard Kelechi Osemele, signed by the team in July. Edwards-Helaire adds a combination of rushing power and pass-catching flexibility, and Osemele brings an ability to take the defensive lineman in front of him, and pancake the guy right out of the picture.

As a result, a Chiefs offense that was all about flash-and-dash in 2019 brought a series of haymakers to Houston’s defense.

Mahomes’ first touchdown pass was a quick one to tight end Travis Kelce…

…and his second, to receiver Sammy Watkins, was basically a power pitch to the right side.

Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire was blowing up Houston’s defense in the first half, and doubled down with 11:01 left in the third quarter. This gave the rookie 102 rushing yards in his first NFL game, with more potentially to come. Not bad for a guy who didn’t have a preseason.

Up 24-7, the Chiefs have already made a clear statement to the rest of the NFL: You may have a way to at least slow down our point-per-minute passing game, but now, if you do, we’ll just bleed the clock, wear down your defense, and run the ball right down your throat. And if Weaver decides to pull his safeties down to deal with the ground game? Well, it’s bombs away from there.