Week #10

The Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Denver Broncos, 10-17.  The Chiefs drop to 4-5 on the season and are currently on a 2 game losing streak in which they have only scored a total of 13 points.

The Chiefs ended up averaging 5.6 yards per carry in the Broncos game...but that is no indication on how the offense did or how the line blocked.  This week the Chiefs offensive line come away with pedestrian grades in the running game.  My biggest disappointment during the Broncos game was the performance of Casey Wiegmann in the pass blocking game and the effort of Johnathan Baldwin when blocking (TE grades and Baldwin's comments, here).

Jon Asamoah has the best game of all the Chiefs' lineman, by far.  He ends the day with a 95% run blocking assignments grade and a 93% pass blocking assignment grade.  A nice bounce back from his performance last week against the Dolphins.

Let's take a look at the rest of those grades...

Run Blocking Grades

	Percent	Grade Bar											Power	Pull	2/Level
	Grade												Blocking	Blocks	Blocks
Albert	89%												+2	0	0
Lilja	80%												0	0	+1
Wiegmann	85%												-1	0	0
Asamoah	95%												0	+1	+1
Richardson	80%												-1	0	0

Run Blocking Notes:

• At 6:48 in the 1st quarter, Jon Asamoah has a nice motor after he engages and drives the defender 5 yards down field.
• Ryan Lilja picks up a nice 2nd level block at 11:38 in the 3rd quarter.  That block spring Jackie Battle for a nice run.  Lilja ends the day with a 80% run blocking grade.
• There is one thing I see on other AFC West teams when I grade them that I don't see when I look at the Chiefs...double team drive blocks.  I have not seen the Chiefs do many of these, and when they have done them they haven't driven the defender off the ball like the other teams.
• I love Ryan Lilja's motor on the back side of a sweep at 6:20 in the 3rd quarter.
• Like I said in the intro, the Chiefs averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Broncos.  Those numbers in isolation would indicate the Chiefs had a good run blocking day.  But after grading the lineman, it appears that some of them scored in the low 80s.
  
• If you would like to see how the Chiefs linemen have done over the past games, then look here.

Pass Blocking Grades

	Percent	Grade Bar											Power	Pressures	Sacks	Combo
	Grade												Blocking	Allowed	Allowed	Help
Albert	82%												-4	7	1	2
Lilja	79%												-4	6	0	10
Wiegmann	80%												-5	7	0	15
Asamoah	93%												0	1	0	14
Richardson	80%												-5	6	1	10

Pass Blocking Notes:

• For the second week in a row, the Chiefs pass blocking was not good...and the TEs and Backs pass blocking was worse.  Only Jon Asamoah can say he did a good job pass blocking this week.
• At 12:55 in the 1st quarter Leonard Pope and Johnathan Baldwin team up and allow the defender to beat them both for a sack.  Not very good blocking by Pope and poor effort by Baldwin.  See TEs and Backs Film Breakdown, here.
• At 4:09 in he 1st quarter, the offensive line lets a defender go free.  There were 3 rushers and 2 lineman to block.  The back in the backfield never looks in the direction of the blitz.
• At 13:44 in the 2nd quarter, Barry Richardson gets beat on the rush.  LeRon McClain is there to pick the defender up, but he fails to stop the rusher and gives up a sack.
• At 11:16 in the 3rd quarter, Jon Asamoah pulls for a dummy run and play action pass.  Richardson must step inside to fill the vacated spot that Asamoah just left and a defender rushes past his right shoulder (Rich stepped left).  In that situation, Pope has to pick up the defender that shoots the gap...but he doesn't.  On the same play, Branden Albert misses a linebacker loop stunt to his outside.
•  13:26 in the 1st quarter, Branden Albert gets beat and then gets a holding call.
• The Chiefs need to work on their cut blocks.  Both their tackles, especially Albert, are the worst cut blockers in the AFC West.  They frequently miss or don't get enough of the defender.  3:38 in the 4th quarter is a good example where Albert misses a quick pass cut block and the defender drills Cassel after the throw.
• As always, the tight ends and backs grades are, here.

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