Four Chiefs Poised for Post-Bye Breakout Performances
As of today, the Chiefs don’t face an opponent with a losing record in their final six regular-season games
The Chiefs are in sole possession of the AFC West despite not playing their best football thus far this season.
That’s including the fact that the defense is in the midst of a stretch that the NFL hasn’t seen from another team this season — holding opponents to less than 20 points in four-straight games.
The offense — led by the best player in football, Patrick Mahomes, who has been called “broken” by national analysts, still ranks in the Top 5 in passing yards and touchdowns.
It’s no easy stretch for the Chiefs, who face their three AFC West foes over the next three weeks (Broncos, Raiders, Chargers), before finishing up against the Steelers, Bengals and then the Broncos on the road to close out the regular season.
While the team fights for a record-setting fourth-straight home game in the AFC title game, here are four players primed for a bigger spotlight down the stretch of the regular season:
1. Rashad Fenton
This graphic, which was posted by Pro Football Focus, shows some of the company that Fenton finds himself with some of these advanced analytic metrics.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Fenton played exactly ZERO games with more than 40 percent of the snaps played for the defense. During that time, the Chiefs’ defense allowed an average of 33.75 points per game.
Since Week 5, Fenton hasn’t played less than 60 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, and over that same time, the defense has allowed only 17.85 points per game.
Not saying it’s everything, but it’s not nothing, especially when you consider the confidence he’s obviously playing with to react like he did below against the Cowboys.
The games only get bigger from here, and the number of high-leverage plays that will test the Chiefs’ defensive backs down the field will only grow down the stretch as well.
Based on what we’ve seen so far this season, Fenton has proven to be a guy the Chiefs can count on to make those plays down the field. He went down late against the Cowboys with a knee injury, but it’s reportedly not supposed to be that serious.
* Worth noting that Fenton is also only 24 years old and is set to be a free agent after the 2022 season. This is the best time to try and work out some kind of an extension with a young and promising player.
2. Byron Pringle
Byron Pringle — the former K-State standout — has already doubled his career-best numbers in a season in terms of targets (32), receptions (23), yards (338), and touchdowns (3).
We’ve seen his usage uptick over the past few weeks, and we’ve seen Mahomes target him in some key situations and Pringle has come through.
While many question Josh Gordon’s impact and value after a few weeks of being with the team, the fact is Pringle has proven to be another capable weapon in the receiving game, which will always be led by Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, whichever running back is on the field, and just one more reliable weapon to make a few key plays in big situations.
While Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson will have their names called at some point to make a key play, the majority of the extra “high-leverage” targets should be heading towards Pringle if they aren’t going towards the usual suspects.
3. Willie Gay Jr.
It’s generally best to bet on young talent once they start getting experience, particularly in discussing players like the Chiefs’ Willie Gay Jr.
A young, playmaking linebacker in college that’s had to deal with injuries and adjusting to the professional game, who isn’t now facing any pressure of having to be the “answer” to a struggling defense, there’s plenty of reason to see his star rising through the final six games of the regular season.
Right now, the pressure is off and he can fly around and make plays.
Much like fellow young standout Nick Bolton, the more those two play next to one another the more we’ll see the defense come together, as well as the nucleus of the Chiefs’ defense for the next several years. That can only be a good thing for a team back atop the division.
4. Frank Clark
Frank Clark is playing the best football of his Chiefs’ career right now.
With the addition of Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs’ pass rush, there are too many problems with Clark, Ingram and Chris Jones for offenses to account for everyone.
If these guys can stay healthy through the final six games, the Chiefs have the pieces they need on defense.
