Forget the nuances of the Kansas City Chiefs’ iconic bag of tricks. This week, the call is much simpler: switch it up, feed the tight ends, and use Travis Kelce as much as possible.
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Talking about the offensive strategy head coach Andy Reid should follow in the Chiefs’ clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars, that will be the key to victory. Jason Dunn, the former Chiefs TE, shared this exact strategy on the latest edition of Chief Concerns. As Dunn put it:
“Unleash the Krakens, the TEs in this game. That’s what we have to do. Travis Kelce rules the middle. They run a lot of zones. Travis Kelce is going to be the guy in this game. … He might be close to 100 [yards] this game.”
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Franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the lifeblood. But the Jaguars’ defense? Pure red zone killers. Kansas City’s usual strategies won’t cut it here. Dunn didn’t stop at Kelce. He wanted the whole group set loose. Behind Travis Kelce, the ideal push would be provided by TEs Noah Gray and Robert Tonyan. As Dunn further added on the show:
“Noah Gray, same thing. Is this going to be the first game we see Robert Tonyan catching the football? … I do hope so. Got to lift the tight ends this game.”
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Why lean on tight ends? Jacksonville’s zone eats up traditional receiver routes. But bring out Kelce, Gray and Tonyan, and suddenly the linebackers are in a blender. This season, the Chiefs have already started mixing it up more. With limited wide receiver depth, Reid and Mahomes have given the spotlight playmaking opportunities to Kelce and his crew when the usual targets get bracketed. Dunn sees this as overdue in the red zone more than anything. Bring the TEs, keep it balanced, and hammer the red zone. And has a number he wants to see for this:
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“We got to do things play action-wise. That’s why I say use tight ends in this game, especially down there in the red zone. That’s going to be the key for us. We got three very good tight ends who have experience in the NFL, who’ve caught a lot of touchdowns, caught a lot of balls. … So we must score in the red zone. 70% is where we looking at.”
Stay tuned, this story is developing…