Mitchell Schwartz@MitchSchwartz71
Philly OL vs. KC DL
This matchup has been talked about a lot and I do think it benefits Philly. They’ve got the best OL in the game and have all year. Why? They can do everything, and they do it well. Each lineman is good (or better) on their own and they’re even better together
The run game is as diverse as it gets. Inside zone, outside zone, toss plays, gap schemes, and everyone pulls (both play side and on gap schemes). You combine that ability with what Jalen brings to a running game and it’s no wonder they’re so diverse and successful.
Chris Jones is the key for the Chiefs DL, really the whole D. He’s the one that makes things go. In the run game I’m most interested in seeing how much gap scheme Philly is willing to run. In a perfect world you’d want Chris on the frontside, not the backside, if you’re Philly.
If Chris is on the backside, the Center back blocks him. He makes/destroys many plays as the backside DT against gap scheme runs. Jason Kelce will have his work cut out on those blocks, especially if Philly pulls both G+T. Then Kelce has no help. We’ll see how they approach it.
In the pass game I’m going to be looking at the interior OL to see how and if we can attack inside and win. As I mentioned the other day, Mike Danna is a very good pass rusher as a 3 technique. Can he win 1-on-1 against Dickerson and Seumalo?
Chris is going to win some reps like normal. But Philly has a better G/C/G than he’s seen lately. Part of the last few weeks has been that he beats the G so quickly that the C either can’t help, or is in poor position to. I don’t think Philly will make that type of mistake.
Philly’s Gs, when they have C help, will pass set him properly and won’t cut off their help. And the help is Jason Kelce, who will be in better position to block Chris than the last few weeks. We’ll see how that matchup plays out but it’ll go a long way in determining the game.
How Spags counters Philly’s OL is my other fun nugget in this matchup. Do they run blitz more than normal to try and slow down Philly’s run game? Do they blitz on 3rd down to force pressure and 1-on-1s? Move Chris around? Or play normal D and see if they can win the matchups?
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