The 2024 regular season saw the Kansas City Chiefs compile an NFL-best 15-2 record while rarely moving beyond second gear. They have the most decorated quarterback in the league, an offense that improved throughout the season, and Travis Kelce, an all-time great tight end who comes alive in the playoffs. This all adds up to the Chiefs’ seemingly unstoppable pursuit of a record “three-peat” of three consecutive Super Bowl wins. However, they have one huge issue: their offensive line.
This season, Arrowhead Stadium has seen a carousel of left tackles. Rookie Kingsley Suamataia, a second-round draft pick, was given the opportunity to take over the role, but the 22-year-old underperformed. He was removed from the lineup during a Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and has not started since. Wanya Morris, a third-round draft pick a year ago, was also given a shot, but he did not do well. He was dropped from the starting lineup in December.
The fact that DJ Humphries, who had an ACL rupture with the Arizona Cardinals last season, was brought in demonstrates the Chiefs’ determination to resolve the issue of how to protect Patrick Mahomes. And head coach Andy Reid ended the season with Joe Thuney, their starting left guard, sliding over to play tackle. And things haven’t been any brighter on the right side. Juwan Taylor might be a touch better in pass protection, but the 27-year-old former Jacksonville Jaguar is a penalty machine. Taylor has committed more penalties (31) than any other player in the NFL since the start of the 2023 season.
Mahomes was targeted 36 times in 2024, more than any other season in his career. He was pressured on 23.3% of his dropbacks, the highest rate since his first season as a starter. And he was hit 70 times, which is a career high and the most among all NFL quarterbacks this season. His average time in the pocket is 2.3 seconds, the shortest of his career. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the great quarterback concluded the regular season with the joint-fewest touchdown passes of his career as a starter (26) and the second-lowest passer rating (93.5).
The relentless pressure on No. 15 has made the Chiefs more reliant on fast plays than at any other point in Mahomes’ career, with an average depth of target of only 6.2 yards. Mahomes ranks 27th among quarterbacks who started at least six games this season in terms of average yards gained per passing attempt (6.8). He faced 152 pressures, the fourth-highest total in the league.
With Thuney at left tackle for the final three games of the regular season, the Chiefs’ pass protection improved, allowing only one sack. The Texans, however, appeared in the divisional round of the playoffs. Then came Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, the NFL’s most frightening edge rushers. Thuney and his stand-in at left guard, Mike Caliendo, allowed 13 QB pressures and two sacks. Mahomes was only sacked three times on the day, but as the game proceeded, he deepened his dropbacks and rolled out of the pocket to buy time.
The only touchdown pass he was able to throw, an 11-yard dart to Travis Kelce in the fourth quarter, came while Mahomes was in mid-fall and had Texans defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr wrapped around his ankles. Mahomes finished with just 177 passing yards, his lowest total in the playoffs. “First, I’d give credit to the Texans,” Reid stated after the game. “I mean, the defense is a good one. The defensive line poses a significant obstacle. “I believe our players performed well against them.” We performed well in the run game, in the play pass game, and on third down.
So I think overall it was good given who we were playing against.” Reid was being diplomatic. If you’re a Chiefs fan, you hope this is the case. Despite the obvious challenges, he was never going to blame any individual or unit of his squad. However, Reid and the defending Super Bowl champions must recognize a significant weakness in their pass protection. Plugging Thuney in at tackle was a temporary fix. The challenges he had against a truly outstanding edge rush demonstrated the distinction between the roles of a tackle and a guard – and why tackles tend to earn the most money in the NFL.
A guard’s work is primarily performed within the width of a phone booth; blocking is a form of close-quarters warfare. A tackle on the outside of the offensive line has far more room to protect and requires a higher level of athleticism; they’re guarding vast, open ocean with sharks circling for a bite at the quarterback’s blind side.
Against the Texans, the Chiefs were able to offset their lack of offensive production by relying on their own outstanding defense. But Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will not be easily restrained in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Despite having practically everything else in place, the Chiefs’ offensive line could jeopardize their chances at history.
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