After the Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs’ struggles at the offensive tackle position have come into focus.
Orlando Brown Jr’s 39 pressures allowed ranks first in the NFL through Week 13 according to Pro Football Focus. Brown Jr.’s bookend at tackle, Andrew Wylie, has allowed the second-most pressures in the league (37). Wylie also leads the Chiefs in penalties (8) and sacks allowed (7). The lackluster performance at tackle has saddled the offense at times, most notably in their recent loss to the Bengals.
Asked about Brown Jr. and Wylie’s performance and what he can do to better help them, Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about the competition they’ve faced each week.
“Well, they’ve gone against some good players,” Reid said. “We do try to help them with chips like with anybody that’s in there. These defensive ends that we’ve played are pretty good and the two that we’re playing this week are pretty good too. That’s part of it.”
It might sound like an excuse, but Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy insists that it isn’t. It’s not just the level of competition they’re facing, but the mentality of those teams playing against Kansas City. They’re looking to see how they measure up against one of the winningest teams in the league.
“It’s not an excuse for those guys, but every week we’re going to get everybody’s best,” Bieniemy said. “Every week is championship football. Those guys know every week what they’re going to be faced (with). As a coaching staff, we could do a better job of helping them out as well, knowing some of the premier pass rushers that they’re going to play against.”
They’ll get more of those pass rushers in the upcoming game against the Denver Broncos, so the coaching staff will need to ensure that they have an airtight plan in place.
“(Baron) Browning No. 56, the kid was an inside (linebacker), now he’s outside wreaking havoc,” Bieniemy said. “No. 53 (Jonathon Cooper), I can’t think of his name, but these guys can play, they get after the quarterback. So, we’ve got to make sure that we’re staying in tune and giving them the necessary help. Those guys know that in certain situations, help won’t be provided. They also understand that they can be better in certain situations, but as a coaching staff we can be better as well.”
As for those fans who are hoping the Chiefs will make a change at the offensive tackle position, don’t expect that coming this week. While Lucas Niang is healthy and anxious to play, it sounds like he’s only being considered in case of an injury at this time.
“I think Lucas (Niang) is chomping at the bit,” Bieniemy said. “I think, obviously, like any professional player, they would all tell you, ‘Hey, I’m the man, I should be starting right now.’ But right now those guys do a pretty good job up front of taking care of business although it hasn’t been perfect all the time. He understands his role, he understands his place and he understands that the biggest thing right now is making sure that if something were to happen, that he’s mentally and physically ready to step in when that situation presents itself.”
The coaching staff appears committed to seeing things through and making sure that Brown Jr. and Wylie get the proper help they need to be successful moving forward.
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