The Kansas City Chiefs were just one game away from becoming the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a row, but those hopes didn’t last very long into the night on Sunday in New Orleans. The Philadelphia Eagles, seeking revenge from their loss in Super Bowl 57 two years ago, came out and dominated the defending champs for 60 minutes in a 40-22 blowout to take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Now, the Chiefs have a long offseason ahead as they look to fix the holes that the Eagles exposed during the Super Bowl. Kansas City was impressively able to cover up a lot of its weaknesses throughout the season, in large part because it went undefeated in one-score games. That elite execution in the clutch is what helped the Chiefs get the top seed in the AFC and get to another Super Bowl, their fifth in the last seven years.
Despite the excellent season, the Chiefs will now be hard at work trying to come back with an even stronger roster next season. In order to do that, they probably need to add another pass rusher, another starting cornerback and try to bring back linebacker Nick Bolton and safety Justin Reid in free agency. Offensively, Kansas City should focus on adding another pass catcher, although getting a healthy Rashee Rice back will help them in that area.
However, there is one position group that absolutely must get fixed, and it was the most glaring hole on the field on Sunday night.
Chiefs must address the offensive line this offseason
The Chiefs feel like they are in a similar spot after this Super Bowl as they were after their 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. Kansas City was blown out in both of its losses on the biggest stage, and the offensive line was the primary weakness in both games.
In that game against the Bucs, the Chiefs were extremely banged up on the offensive line. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, however, as they were just overmatched for talent. The Eagles pressured Patrick Mahomes on more than 38% of his drop backs and sacked him six times, giving him absolutely no chance to sit in the pocket and make throws down the field.
The Chiefs had an offensive line problem all season long, and they did well to manage it for the most part. After Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris both showed that they were not capable starting left tackles at this point in their careers, the Chiefs tried to pick up DJ Humphries to do the job. When Humphries got hurt, Andy Reid bumped star left guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle. Thuney did an admirable job for most of his time there, but he was clearly overmatched on Sunday by the Eagles’ deep crop of pass rushers.
Thuney kicking out to tackle also made it so that Mike Caliendo had to start at guard, and he had his fair share of poor moments in the Super Bowl as well. The offensive line as a whole got its butt kicked, and that was the primary reason for the blowout.
As a result, the Chiefs must address that this offseason. Creed Humphrey is a foundational piece at center, and Jawaan Taylor should be at least a serviceable right tackle for another year. Star right guard Trey Smith is a free agent that should command a lot of money, but the Chiefs need to try to bring him back if possible.
Thuney will slide back in at left guard, but Kansas City must find a left tackle either in the draft or in free agency. Getting one on the open market will be tough for a few reasons. Quality players at one of the most important positions in football don’t hit the open market very often, and the Chiefs don’t have very much money to pay one especially if they’re going to bring back some of their own free agents.
This is not a great tackle class, so it will be interesting to see if the Chiefs can find a value left tackle at some point in the middle rounds. They also may need to find a right guard if Smith leaves, so rebuilding this front is not going to be an easy task at all. However, if the Chiefs want to keep getting back into Super Bowls, it is a requirement that they improve the offensive line this offseason.
