In 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs had the NFL’s No. 1 offense, Averaged 29.2 points and 413.6 yards of offense per game.
Elite play in the Kansas City red zone was a significant reason the team finished top for the third time since 2018. He averaged 3.0 touchdowns in the red zone per game. This was an improvement 2.6 averaged in 2021which was last season, Kansas City was the No. 1 offense in the league.
In the first installment of the series, let’s consider the red zone contributions of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelsey.
dominance
Mahomes and Kelsey were emphatically dominant in the red. The quarterback finished 2022 with the Best red zone passer in the league, with 73 completions (and 34 touchdowns) within the 20-yard line. It was the tight end The NFL’s best red zone passer, scoring ten touchdowns on 19 receptions. The next tight end closer was Cleveland BrownsDavid Njoku, of It was four touchdowns on 12 receptions.
This was the fourth consecutive season that Fellows has led these categories. the Seattle SeahawksRussell Wilson and Tyler Lockett were the league’s best red zone quarterbacks and receivers in 2019, followed by Green Bay PackersAaron Rodgers and Davante Adams in 2020 and Los Angeles RamsMatthew Stafford and Cooper Cobb in 2021.
But Mahomes and Kelce are still one of a kind. According to Pro Football Reference – Done Tracking red zone traffic and receipts since 1994 They are the only duo to lead the league in both statistics in any season.
order it
Andy Reid and the rest of the Chiefs’ offensive staff made sure their stars got a tight end with as many red zone appearances as possible, capitalizing on the well-known Mahomes-Kelce connection in the biggest situations – including the game-winning game against the… Los Angeles Chargers.
Game winner in Los Angeles. Kelsey vs. James. Indoor launch from Kelce as Watson arrives on a ramp. A pre-snap motion tells Mahomes that the man is likely to be a cover-up. Kelce creates more breakaways than Watson and accelerates into the endzone. pic.twitter.com/pEeKwHz0mz
– Caleb James (@CJScoobs) July 7, 2023
Here we see the Chiefs run a play on Los Angeles safety center Derwin James – who, like Kelce, is an elite player in the big situations. As wide receiver Justin Watson approaches, cornerback follows. This tells Mahomes that it’s man-to-man coverage—just what Kansas City wants.
Covering his feet with coverage from James, Kelce swoops in – while a deflection from Watson from the other side leads to a pick game. But Watson stopped before he could connect with James – though he still helped Kelce get enough separation to make the catch and get past everyone into the end zone.
After amassing scores of receptions through the first 11 weeks of the season, Kelsey finished the regular season without another season. But the Chiefs wasted no time getting the ball rolling in the divisional round against Jacksonville Jaguars.
Run the execution of the work. McKinnon in the flat, gray with the corner. Mahomes manipulates the defense toward the sideline, but Kelce stops after selling a block on first down. The defense gets out of position, with quarterback Kelsey hovering for a six. pic.twitter.com/Sl0bRuE58s
– Caleb James (@CJScoobs) July 7, 2023
Mahomes sells the run and then rolls to his right on this play. This forces defenders into a tight Noah Gray (running into the corner way) and running back Gerrick McKinnon into the flat. Meanwhile, Kelce is blocking – but it’s all for show.
After Mahomes manipulates the defense to the right, Kelce stops blocking—but stays put. Mahomes whips him up with a quick pass. With the entire secondary flush hard to the right, Kelce is wide open for the end zone.
telecommunication
While the Chiefs playbook is full of ways for Mahomes and Kelce to operate in the red, they are often at their deadliest in off-the-cuff situations.
In October, they combined for four touchdowns against Las Vegas Raiders. Those included some of the iconic improvisations that made this duo so great.
Kelsey was thrown out of his way at first for timing the play. Mahomes extends the play with his legs, but as the defense begins to flow right, he finds Kelce who has the perfect angle to run left and score a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/F2pdHmTfEP
– Caleb James (@CJScoobs) July 7, 2023
Here we see Kelce begin the play with an intersection. A Raiders linebacker connects with him before he can cross the five-yard line of scrimmage. Mahomes starts scrambling – but when the defense swoops hard down the right, Kelce separates the way back towards the middle.
He grabs the pass and cuts to the left. Now with a perfect angle for the end zone, Kelce returns the Raiders’ physicality with a pair of stiff arms to ignite the Chiefs’ “Monday Night Football” rally.
That same moving energy set up the play before the duo’s round landing.
The sudden movement from the JuJu gives the appearance of a man, and may also alert Mahomes that the press is on. LB drops to the middle in the snap. Mahomes scrambles, and when the LB leaves center, he lifts one up to Kelce who has just set up the breakaway. Great focus to bring. pic.twitter.com/rrNop6jqIy
– Caleb James (@CJScoobs) July 7, 2023
The Jaguars show a blitz on this third play—but on the second at least, drop a linebacker in the middle of the field.
While Kelce appears to be just covered by her own, Mahomes must be careful; This linebacker and high safety both cover midfield—and they’re starting to come in at the tight end. At the top of the scene, Mahomes decided to improvise.
When the linebacker sees the scramble, he clears the quarterback. That’s just what Mahomes wants. As he drags him down, Mahomes fires a rope at Kelce – who uses great concentration to pull the pass past the point where the linebacker fell again to cover it.
Mahomes and Kelce revolutionize the game – and their connection to the red is a big part of how they do it. When they’re inside twenty – whether it’s a rehearsed play in perfect harmony or a remote improvisation – they’re the best pair in the league.
In the second part of this series, we’ll examine Jerrick McKinnon’s role in the red zone attack in Kansas City.