"Punt God" Looked Human In Chiefs Debut

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach successfully kept a core of consecutive Super Bowl winners intact. He knew, though, that being mostly, almost, basically as good as last year is not the right plan for a dynasty. Improving in a league with a salary cap requires creativity. Veach regularly puts that kind of creativity on display with his budgetary strategies, drafting skills and his philosophy about the free agency market. Whether his attempt to improve the team with this latest change at punter remains to be seen.

After being cleared of some serious legal allegations, Matt Araiza, known on social media platforms as "Punt God", penned a new deal with the Chiefs. This came after parting ways with Tommy Townsend. Araiza undoubtedly has a big leg capable of flipping the field when KC gets stuffed deep in their own territory. He looked good doing this in the preseason, but his attempts at a coffin corner punt looked less-than-godly against the Ravens.

Araiza's first punt as a Chief came on KC's second possession of the game, and he boomed it into the end zone from the Chiefs' 44 yard-line. That clearly wasn't the best outcome, as it resulted in a net gain of 36 yards. On his second attempt, KC wanted a coffin corner punt from the Baltimore 40. Araiza's punt resulted in another ball in the end zone and a net gain of 20 yards. This was a major momentum shift in Baltimore's favor.

His last punt of the day showed Chiefs Kingdom more of what we wanted from Araiza. A booming kick from KC's 42 and strong special teams coverage forced the Ravens to start their crucial last possession at their 13. The Chiefs will have a dynamic, high-scoring offense this year, and pairing that with a new, different punter brings up new strategic questions for the Kansas City coaching staff. It almost seems strategically incongruous to have this potentially great offense and focus the punting strategy on the (hopefully) rare moments when the offense gets stuck deep in their own territory.

It obviously helps to have a big leg on a punter that practically never allows your opponent to start with great field position, but I really love it when KC's defense goes up against an opponent's offense pinned against their own goal line. I remember Tommy doing that a lot, which is perhaps why the Houston Texans quickly scooped him up. I may have reservations now, but after a few more god-like bombs in clutch moments, I'll probably be stoked about the change. This self-proclaimed deity of punting should be able to deliver coffin corner kicks with more consistency over the span of the entire season. If the Chiefs get the best of both worlds out of him, chalk it up as just another clever way that Brett Veach made a great team greater. 

That's part of the reason why I have the Chiefs going 14-3 and grabbing the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs this season. Stay tuned for the rest, as well as more detailed recaps of the Ravens game and the rest of Week 1 in the NFL.