As if the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have enough problems already, it seems they’ll have to get more creative with their protection calls moving forward.
One of the game-changing plays for the Houston Texans came from fifth-round rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu. The clock was ticking down in the second quarter and Juan Thornhill had just intercepted a pass from Deshaun Watson. Kansas City had the ball on the 20-yard line.
The Chiefs’ offense trots out on the field, quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets under center and makes his identifications, communicating protection changes to the Chiefs’ offensive line. The rush was coming from the right and Mahomes alerted LG Martinas Rankin to pull to that side of the line. This left Omenihu on an island with center Austin Reiter. The ball is snapped and Omenihu beats Reiter 1-on-1 and chases down Mahomes, forcing the football out of the hands of the Chiefs’ QB.
Apparently, this play wasn’t just good fortune on the part of Omenihu. He claims that he knew exactly what was coming from the Chiefs’ offensive line.
“I knew their line movements,” Omenihu said following the game. “I knew their slide and knew what it was going to be. When they said a certain word, I knew I was going to be rushing one-on-one with the center. So, I knew I had a chance to convert, but I was playing run the whole time.
“So, I extended out and when I felt it was soft, I flipped my head up support and pulled my hips in and started running. I saw the quarterback. I knew the short distance to get to him. And just happened to make that play.”
This play would help the Texans to the lead heading into halftime. It also gave them a lot of momentum coming out of the half, while leaving the Chiefs feeling somewhat defeated.
It’s not clear if this is something that Omenihu picked up on during the game, something that he specifically noticed when studying film, or a tip-off from an old friend of Kansas City like Carlos Hyde. What is clear is that it made a crucial difference in the game.
Add this to the growing list of exploitable weaknesses that this Chiefs’ team will have to overcome if they intend to get back to winning football games.
