Today, we witness an important and unprecedented change to the foundation of what makes the Kansas City Chiefs so successful. A total transformation of an offensive line for the sake of better protecting an asset this expensive has never happened. The Kansas City Chiefs acquired proven, top-shelf talent for the left side of the line, but the center, right guard and right tackle positions will all be filled by rookies.
Lucas Niang, a 2020 third-round pick who opted out of playing last season, will join 2021 second-round draft pick Creed Humphrey and sixth-rounder Trey Smith to help protect the half-a-billion-dollar-man, Patrick Mahomes. The efficacy of this entirely new unit remains unknown despite the mostly positive reports from preseason and training camp. Today's game should prove a solid test, as even the most proven of NFL offensive lines would have their work cut out for them against this new Cleveland Browns defense.
Cleveland used their first round pick on Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II, who already impressed Cleveland so much that he leapfrogged fellow promising young defensive back Greedy Williams on the depth chart to be listed as the starter opposite Denzel Ward. Cleveland's second pick yielded an All-American and Dick Butkus Award winner in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah that should strengthen the middle of the Browns defense for many seasons to come. The Browns also added Pro Bowler defensive tackle Malik Jackson and former #1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney.
All these improvements for Cleveland could make things tough for Kansas City's new offensive line, but clues to how KC's coaching staff will deal with this can be found in film on the last time these teams met. Andy Reid's cleverness helped the Chiefs overcome a disadvantage in the trenches when they faced the Browns in last season's divisional round playoff game. Pre-snap motion and moments of misdirection helped Mahomes to such success that the offensive line's weaknesses were almost completely masked. 12 of Kansas City's first 22 plays on offense resulted in first downs. This helped the Chiefs to a 16-point lead at halftime that forced the Browns into a pass-heavy offensive scheme for the rest of the game. Baker Mayfield threw a pick to start the second half, and KC went on to win, even with Mahomes injured.
Despite the upgrades for both teams, I think smart coaching will again help the Chiefs mask their weaknesses and make the most of their strengths. I'm predicting a 31-24 victory for our Chiefs over a Browns team that should bounce back well enough to earn a playoff spot again this season.
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