The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the hottest teams heading into the NFL Playoffs, and they’re finding success without their star Jamaal Charles.
If there’s any statistic that seems to be the most mind-boggling, its that the Kansas City Chiefs were 1-4 when Jamaal Charles played, but 10-1 when he did not. Considering that Jamaal Charles is unquestionably one of the top running backs in the league and was averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage per game before going down with a torn ACL, this is a little hard to believe
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Charles clearly is a talented back, but for some reason his team had much more success with out him than with him. A big chunk of that credit goes to the team’s defense who did not allow more than 22 points and forced 25 turnovers through the team’s final 11 games, but it’s the consistent production of the offense without Charles that was the most impressive.
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While the offense as a whole produced a little better with Charles than without him, the sans-Jamaal Chiefs were better at running the football. They topped 150 yards on the ground five times after Charles went out (compared to 0 times with Charles in the lineup), and they did it on the backs of two up-and-coming players.
Many expected Knile Davis to step in if Charles got hurt, as he had served as the Chief’s No. 2 running back for several seasons, but it was the undrafted Charcandrick West who got the nod. He would go on to average 79 yards from scrimmage per game and score 5 touchdowns through the rest of the season, fairly decent numbers for a backup running back. What made the Kansas City offense so successful, however, was not the presence of just one back, but two.
Spencer Ware started the season on the team’s practice squad, but was elevated to the active roster in the middle of the season, after Charles’ injury. He received a few carries, but was truly forced to step up when West was pulled from the team’s Week 11 game because of a hamstring injury. He proceeded to rack up 210 yards and 3 touchdowns in Weeks 11 and 12 in relief of West, showing that he had the ability to carry the load on his own.
The two have combined to average nearly 130 yards per game since Jamaal Charles went down, one of the best numbers in the league. West is quick, shifty, and slippery, whereas Ware feels a bit more like a bulldozer, and they have combined for arguably the best one-two punch in the league.
Losing their star running back has forced the entire team to buckle down, and helped them develop the mindset that allowed for 10 straight wins. The offensive line has been blocking better, and the running backs have been running hard, but the passing game has been thriving as well.
The numbers don’t do Kansas City’s passing game justice, as they’ve only reached 275 passing yards once this season, but quarterback Alex Smith has 20 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions, and he’s doing it by both relying on his stars and spreading the ball around.
The Chiefs’ big offseason acquisition Jeremy Maclin topped 1,000 yards for the second straight season, and tight end Travis Kelce continued last year’s success with another 800 yard season, but the team had eight different players with at least 15 receptions. Charles’ absence has forced the Chiefs to use their other weapons, which has made it tough for opposing defenses to key on any one player.
Teams can’t double-cover both Travis Kelce and Jeremy Maclin, and even if they succeeded in shutting them down the Chiefs turn towards No. 2 receiver Albert Wilson. Even keying on the running game is hard to do, because the team’s two running backs have such diverse running styles that its hard to truly lock them both down.
The last time Kansas City made the playoffs, in 2013, Jamaal Charles counted for 37% of their regular season offense. When he went down with a concussion in the opening possession of their first playoff game, the Chiefs could not recover. While they were able to have some success without him, getting out to a 28-point lead, they were ultimately unable to hold it together, losing 45-44 to the Colts in one of the biggest comebacks in NFL Playoff history.
So crucial has Charles been to the team’s offense over the years that the team is 5-16 in games that he is held under 3.5 yards per carry. Now, they’re heading into the postseason without Jamaal which would have been a terrifying prospect before this season, but now does not seem so daunting.
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The Kansas City Chiefs return to Houston, the site of their last playoff victory 22 years ago, to face a very stout Texans defense, but their offensive diversity means they cannot be counted out. Hopefully the duo in the backfield and the pair of talented receivers can continue their excellent play into the postseason, despite missing their offensive star.