Screens in the Kansas City Chiefs offense: it’s complicated.
Complaining about screens fits in well in Kansas City. Alex Smith doesn’t throw deep, you see him throwing a screen and so you complain. It’s the narrative.
In this case, the narrative is true. The Chiefs DO throw a bunch of screen passes. We knew Andy Reid was hired this was an extension of the run game but it’s still worth pointing out that the Chiefs threw a bunch of screen passes last year.
As it turns out, the Chiefs were pretty good with them, too. Pro Football Focus has this stat showing how often Alex threw screen passes and how well he did on those passes:
Alex Smith throws screens more than twice as often as the average QB, but he also has more success than the average QB. pic.twitter.com/UbunhrKgsI
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 18, 2017
The other thing is that the Chiefs have several players who are very good with screens. I’m thinking of Travis Kelce and his wiggle going 80 yards on a screen. I’m thinking of the fastest player in the NFL, Tyreek Hill, running away from defenders. I’d even throw De’Anthony Thomas in there (although actual production is lacking with him). Jamaal Charles is great at screens too :(
Not that everything is about the Chiefs new quarterback but it’ll be fun to see how this offense changes with Patrick Mahomes. If you can keep the threat of screens and add in a more vertical offense it would add another dynamic to the Chiefs offense.