[sendtonews_embed video_id=”JeUetC1c5n-964238-7498″]
Kansas City Chiefs rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was stunning his debut against the Houston Texans.
Edwards-Helaire got the first offensive snap of the game, carrying the ball for three yards. It helped him settle the butterflies in his stomach.
“First carry, I kind of felt a lot of emotions,” Edwards-Helaire told reporters after the game. “After I got tackled that first time and rolled up, I just knew, ‘Alright, it’s football. Time to roll.'”
And roll he did. By night’s end, Edwards-Helaire would become the youngest player in the history of the NFL with 130 or more rushing yards and a touchdown during his debut. He finished the game with 25 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown with a long run of 27 yards.
His success, by-and-large, was due to the dilemma that defenses are now faced with when playing against the Chiefs. Do you drop back to defend the plethora of receiving weapons that Patrick Mahomes has at his disposal or stack the box and stop Edwards-Helaire? It’s truly an impossible task, just check out this data from NFL Next Gen Stats.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire made the most of his opportunities by taking advantage of the Texans when they featured a light box at snap (6-or-fewer defenders).
Edwards-Helaire Rushing vs. Light Box
➤ 10 att, 96 yards, TD (80% success rate)#HOUvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/9BPreBaKOj— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 11, 2020
Don’t worry so much about Edwards-Helaire’s EPA, which was tainted by some garbage time runs against a stacked box. When Edwards-Helaire faced a box with six or fewer defenders, he was averaging over nine yards per attempt. He amassed more yardage on average against a light box than either Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson had on average through the air. Edwards-Helaire’s touchdown run, which came against a light box, included an example of why he’s so deadly in these situations. He can make players miss in the open field with relative ease and forced a total of seven missed tackles on the night. All he needs is a little space and that’s when the magic happens.
[sendtonews_embed video_id=”qGc7oIZouZ-964191-7498″]
The scary thing is, Edwards-Helaire was comfortable with his workload, he even said he felt he could go for two more quarters after the game.
“I’m 100 percent comfortable with the workload,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Then, whatever Coach Reid, E.B. (Eric Bieniemy), whatever they want as far as demanding from me, I’m there for it. I’m here to do my job. I’m here to play running back… Whatever they need from me, I’m there for it.”
As the season goes on, we’re going to see more and more defensive coordinators faced with this impossible task. Do you leave everyone on an island against Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins to stuff up Edwards-Helaire? The rookie sensation has the potential to bring a type of balance to the Chiefs’ offense that they haven’t consistently seen since their record-breaking 2018 season. He’ll also only get better and more comfortable within the offensive scheme from here.
[vertical-gallery id=76658]