Through the first four weeks of the 2020 NFL season, the defensive front in Kansas City had managed to pressure the quarterback at a surprising rate with 68 total pressures. They had no fewer than 14 pressures in a single game and that came in Week 4 against the Patriots, with dynamic pass-rushing defensive tackle Chris Jones on the sideline.
When the Chiefs faced the Raiders in Week 5, they struggled to generate pressure more than they had in any other game this season. On the day, they totaled just 11 pressures, with only a single pressure resulting in a sack. That play came from rookie LB Willie Gay Jr., where Raiders QB Derek Carr stepped up to flee a collapsing pocket and slid behind the line of scrimmage to avoid taking a big hit.
So what happened in Week 5 that made things so tough on the defense when it came to getting pressure? Credit goes to the Raiders offensive line, who really handled the Chiefs’ pass rushers all day long. Starting LT Kolton Miller, who was previously beaten silly by Frank Clark when he played for Seahawks, pitched a near-perfect game, allowing just one pressure on the day.
Kolton Miller shut down Frank Clark in Week 5. If you said these words two years ago on this website it would've been dismissed & laughed at by nearly everyone (including me). Incredible job by Tom Cable & Miller. Great example of why "traits" matter so much in the process too. pic.twitter.com/SXTHi7vhZM
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) October 13, 2020
That performance by Miller was only one piece of the puzzle, however. Chris Jones, in his return from a groin injury only recorded a single pressure on the day. Trent Brown did a good job handling Tanoh Kpassagnon, holding him to just three pressures and one pass batted.
The Chiefs were also without rookie DE Mike Danna who was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 5. Danna had played 98 total snaps in the first four weeks of the season, recording five total pressures including a sack.
In his place, veteran DE Alex Okafor seemed to receive the most snaps. Okafor played in nearly 50% of the defensive snaps for Kansas City and rushed the passer on 18 of those snaps. He recorded no pressures on the day for Kansas City.
Taco Charlton, who was a standout against the Patriots in Week 4, played in just 11 total defensive snaps. He recorded a single pressure on one of his six pass-rush attempts.
On the first play of the game that Kansas City sent a blitz, Carr threw his lone interception of the day. The next time they sent a blitz, Carr threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor. They had similar issues from there on out when they sent extra pressure at Carr.
Really, a multitude of compounding issues led to this poor performance from the Kansas City pass rush. They need to find better performances from star players, more production from rotational pieces, greater success when sending the blitz. We know they’re capable of doing it after those first four weeks, it’s just a matter of getting back to it in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills.
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