The Kansas City Chiefs ran their offense out of the shotgun formation for 20 of their 52 offensive plays last night.
The good news? The Chiefs averaged just over a 6-yard gain each time they lined up in the shotgun. That's a full yard more than their 5-yard per play average for the entire game.
Backup QB Matt Gutierrez continues to run the shotgun the most out of any Chiefs QB. That's partly because he's more comfortable in that style of offense; partly because I think Todd Haley has more confidence in him than in Tyler Thigpen; and partly because Gutierrez plays at the end of the game and the Chiefs have been needing to play catch up the last couple of weeks.
The shotgun formation will become more and more important because I don't see the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line suddenly improving over the course of the next few weeks.
Matt Cassel was not lined up in the shotgun when he was sacked and subsequently injured. Would the shotgun have helped? I'm not really sure. The offensive line gave up sacks while Matt Guitierrez was in the shotgun so who knows.
Are we headed for another season of "gimmicky" formations, heavy on the shotgun, to ensure our quarterback survives another season of poor line play? The question I'm really trying to get at is: Has this preseason forced the Chiefs to alter their offensive philosophy to create extra protection against defensive pressure on the quarterback?
I don't think we're lining up in the Wildcat anytime soon but the shotgun looks will probably increase as the season goes on.
After the jump, I listed the plays the Chiefs ran the shotgun on. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
First Quarter
| 2-6-KC 39 (14:16) (Shotgun) 27-L.Johnson left end to KC 46 for 7 yards (31-K.Lucas). |
| 2-12-KC 44 (13:01) (Shotgun) PENALTY on KC-81-D.Darling, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at KC 44 - No Play. |
| 2-17-KC 39 (13:01) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass short right to 84-B.Engram to KC 45 for 6 yards (24-D.Grant). |
| 1-10-KC 41 (8:25) (Shotgun) 25-J.Charles right tackle to KC 47 for 6 yards (79-R.Bryant). |
Second Quarter
| 2-5-KC 25 (7:31) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass short left to 82-D.Bowe to KC 31 for 6 yards (51-L.Tatupu). |
| 3-13-KC 10 (2:22) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass incomplete short left to 25-J.Charles. |
| 1-10-KC 26 (:49) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass short left to 25-J.Charles to KC 33 for 7 yards (51-L.Tatupu). |
| 2-3-KC 33 (:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass incomplete short right to 82-D.Bowe. PENALTY on SEA-31-K.Lucas, Defensive Pass Interference, 9 yards, enforced at KC 33 - No Play. |
| 1-10-KC 42 (:21) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass deep left to 82-D.Bowe to SEA 38 for 20 yards (31-K.Lucas). |
| 1-10-SEA 38 (:13) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass short right to 84-B.Engram pushed ob at SEA 35 for 3 yards (24-D.Grant). |
Third Quarter
| 2-13-KC 37 (3:59) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen pass incomplete short left to 84-B.Engram. |
| 3-13-KC 37 (3:55) (Shotgun) 4-T.Thigpen scrambles left end pushed ob at KC 44 for 7 yards (27-J.Babineaux). |
Fourth Quarter
| 1-10-KC 38 (15:00) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short left to 17-A.Lelie to SEA 29 for 33 yards (37-C.Greene). |
| 2-14-SEA 23 (13:17) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short right to 14-Q.Lawrence to SEA 18 for 5 yards (57-D.Hawthorne). |
| 3-9-SEA 18 (12:33) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short right to 26-J.Battle to SEA 17 for 1 yard (59-A.Curry). |
| 2-10-KC 18 (3:30) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short left to 17-A.Lelie to KC 23 for 5 yards (57-D.Hawthorne). |
| 3-10-KC 18 (2:54) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short middle to 11-R.Wright to KC 34 for 16 yards (52-D.Lewis). |
| 1-10-KC 34 (2:19) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short right to 13-A.Toomer to KC 47 for 13 yards (36-J.Adams). |
| 1-10-KC 47 (2:00) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass short left to 17-A.Lelie ran ob at SEA 49 for 4 yards. |
| 1-10-SEA 39 (1:49) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez sacked at SEA 43 for -4 yards (99-D.Walker). |
| 2-14-SEA 43 (1:21) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez sacked at KC 49 for -8 yards (98-N.Reed). |
| 3-22-KC 49 (1:13) (Shotgun) 15-M.Gutierrez pass intended for 13-A.Toomer INTERCEPTED by 54-W.Herring at SEA 38. 54-W.Herring to SEA 45 for 7 yards (29-D.Savage). |