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Kansas City Chiefs starting LG Kelechi Osemele stood out in a big way during his debut with his new team. Clyde Edwards-Helaire may have landed all the headlines, but Osemele had an equally impressive game, paving the way for the rookie sensation.
Following the game, Andy Reid gave credit to the offensive line for keeping Patrick Mahomes clean and blocking up a big game for Edwards-Helaire. During his Monday press conference, Reid was asked about Osemle’s performance. Reporters wanted to know if Reid thought that Osemele brought a different type of physicality compared to previous guards they’ve employed.
“Yeah, Larry (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) was a little bit that way too and (Andrew) Wylie’s got some of that in him too but it’s good to add it,” Reid told reporters. “It’s good to be able to put another guy in there with his experience I think and his attitude about playing. I mean he plays, and he plays aggressive and you have to love that. I’m not saying we haven’t had it before, but what an addition to be able to put it in there, and I think his thing that’s followed him throughout his career has been, you play against him, you better strap it on because he’s going to bring it to you every down and it’s going to be aggressive and he’s going to do it to the whistle and that whole thing. So, I appreciate that. I think you’ve got to have that upfront and it’s a good tempo setter.”
Reid knows a good offensive lineman when he sees one, having played and coached the position himself in the past. Osemele set the tone for the offensive line in Week 1. It’s something they’ve lacked to an extent in the past, especially in the running game. The numbers and the tape tend to agree with Reid’s assessment too. On the first play of the game, Osemele had a pancake block, taking a Texans linebacker to the turf.
Credit @geoffschwartz for finding this pancake. First play of the game from scrimmage for the Chiefs. Osemele does a great job with the slip and scoop to the LB and takes a good pop from him and then proceeds to dispose of him into the turf pic.twitter.com/0tFI6PyaP6
— Daniel Harms (@D_Harms19) September 11, 2020
Following the game, Pro Football Focus said that Osemele had the third-most positively graded run blocks that he’s ever had in a single game in his entire nine-year NFL career. His 72.6 overall grade was the fifth-highest grade on the entire team.
Edwards-Helaire also had a ton of his success running behind Osemele. According to PFF, five attempts by Edwards-Helaire went in the direction of Osemele’s blocking, totaling in 60 yards and a touchdown. Three of those five runs went for 10 or more yards.
As Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar said, “Osemele was a battering ram” in Week 1. He’ll continue to pave the way for Edwards-Helaire for the rest of the season in Kansas City, bringing with him the aggressive play-through-the-whistle mentality that the team so desperately needed.
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