The best team in the AFC once again resided in Kansas City. How did the Chiefs get back to the Super Bowl in 2020?
2020 record: 14-2
- Division record: 4-2
- Record against teams with winning records: 7-1 (including playoffs)
What else can be said about what the Kansas City Chiefs did in 2020. As you saw above they played exceptional against elite competition. Andy Reid had his team ready to win tough road games, as the Chiefs finished 8-0 on the road.
Patrick Mahomes led the way once again with a tremendous season that had him finish 3rd in MVP voting. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill proved they were the most electric receiving duo in the league.
The Chiefs’ defense has improved year after year, and in 2020 they featured a secondary that had the 5th most interceptions in the league (16). Let’s take a deeper look at the numbers and see where the Chiefs compared to the rest of the league.
Team Ranks:
| Total Offense | 1st (6653 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 1st (4854 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 16th (1799 yards) |
| Total Defense | 16th (5733 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 14th (3779 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 21st (1954 yards allowed) |
| PPG | 6th (29.6) |
| PPG Allowed | 10th (22.6) |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 11th |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted run yards) | 14th (4.37) |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted sack rate) | 4th (4.5%) |
| 2020 Offense Play Selection |
| Pass – 61.9% |
| Rush – 38.1% |
| PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2020 |
| 1. Travis Kelce TE (93.8) |
| 2. Patrick Mahomes QB (91.8) |
| 3. Chris Jones DT (90.3) |
| 4. Tyreek Hill WR (84.5) |
| 5. Orlando Brown Jr. LT (77.8) |
Leading Passer: Patrick Mahomes
- 66.3 completion percentage
- 4,740 passing yards
- 40 total touchdowns (38 passing)
Leading Rusher: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- 803 rushing yards
- 4 rushing touchdowns
- 4.4 YPC
Leading Receiver: Travis Kelce
- 105 receptions
- 1,416 receiving yards
- 11 touchdowns
Defensive MVP: Chris Jones
- 7.5 sacks
- 2 forced fumbles
- 44 QB pressures
What doomed them in the Super Bowl?
It’s been written and talked about at length, but Patrick Mahomes was running for his life in Tampa against the Bucs. Something that gets talked about a little less, is the physicality and excellent play of the Tampa secondary.
Tyreek Hill finished with just 73 yards in the Super Bowl after lighting up Tampa Bay in November. Hill was not able to garner enough separation to make the big plays he is accustomed to making.
Travis Kelce was able to find more success, but nobody else on the Chiefs did. 6 players on the Chiefs combined for 9 receptions and 64 yards. The drives were stagnant, and there were very few chunk plays.
Mahomes would later admit he was scrambling a bit too much in this game even sometimes in clean pockets. While that may have been true, the line did still let him down by allowing 3 sacks and constant pressure throughout the night.
Story of the season: Offense continues to dominate the league
Despite the sour ending from the Super Bowl, the Chiefs once again displayed they have the most dangerous offense in the NFL.
Throughout the year they dominated against top tier competition (Ravens, Saints, Bucs, Bills, Browns). They weren’t just getting by these top teams either, they were making their presence felt.
The biggest example being from the regular season matchup between KC and the Bucs in which Tyreek Hill had 203 receiving yards in the first quarter.
The Chiefs also got a nice boost from rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The former LSU standout finished with 1100 yards from scrimmage in his first season as a pro. His evolution in this offense will be interesting to watch on a unit that already features such elite caliber talent.
With a trio of Mahomes/Kelce/Hill combined with the excellent coaching of Andy Reid and his staff, the Chiefs figure to be part of the NFL’s elite for a long, long time.
