Why Monday’s Chiefs vs. Rams game was not a Super Bowl preview

We all need a cigarette after witnessing that contest at the Coliseum Monday night between the Chiefs and Rams. Prime time national televised NFL games have a tendency to underwhelm because the hype can be so strong. Last night, we got everything we wanted and more. The offensive revolution in the NFL is here to stay.

One hundred and five combined points in a NFL game — 105 points! Third most combined in NFL history.

The Rams beat the Chiefs, 54-51, in an instant classic Monday Night Football contest between two 9-1 football teams. They produced 1,001 yards on 30 drives. The Chiefs averaged 7.9 yards per play while the Rams averaged 6.1 yards per play. There were 13 total touchdowns, including three defensive scores, two by the Rams and one by the Chiefs. Throw in the short field after another Aaron Donald strip sack, and was essentially four defensive scores. So what do we take away from last night?

Start with a look at the drive chart for the game’s 30 drives.

-TD
-Punt
-TD
-TD
-FG
-FG
-Fumble
-TD
-Punt
-Fumble for a TD
-TD
-Kneeldown Half
-Fumble
-TD
-TD
-FG
-INT for TD
-Punt
-Punt
-TD
-Fumble for TD
-TD
-Punt
-Punt
-TD
-TD
-INT
-Punt
-INT
-Kneeldown

Just breathe that in. It’s remarkable. It’s beautiful. It’s what the NFL is now. It’s an offensive game. The rules make it such. The coaching makes it such. The quarterbacks make it so.

But there are two huge overreactions on everyone’s mind the day after that game, so let’s dig into those.

Overreaction No. 1: This is the new normal in the NFL

No, this is the new normal for teams with brilliant offensive minds. The Chiefs, Rams, Saints, and a few others. Excellent coaching can elevate players, but only so far. You need that uber talented quarterback to help finish the deal. The Chiefs and Rams have those quarterbacks.

There aren’t 32 brilliant offensive minds, and there aren’t 32 brilliant quarterbacks. It’s that simple. And even looking at the pipeline of possible coordinators, there aren’t many either.

What we are seeing is that being creative, pushing the envelope, being aggressive and fearless and using the pass more than the run is the future of the NFL, if you want to score points. Having three or four offensive weapons is a must. No longer can you rely on the one stud wideout and a run game. There’s no place for that style of football in the NFL.

Not every team can give up on the running game

We might have also seen the end of running the football to set up the pass. Entering last night, both defenses were a disaster against the run. Rams allowing 5.2 yards a carry and the Chiefs 5.1 yards a carry. I assumed, like most, both teams would try to establish the run game. Nope, that didn’t happen. Removing the quarterback runs, the Rams attempted 17 rushes while the Chiefs gave the ball to Hunt just 14 times. Mahomes had six rushes, and some of those have to be included because they were option runs. That’s nothing in a game with 144 plays.

The goal has always been to run the ball to set up the pass. Running the ball demands that an offense be physical and set the tone. It should ideally force the defense to honor the run and react to the pass. However, people in football today have rightfully determined the goal of every play should be maximizing yards, a positive in our analytics era.

If passing the ball nets more yards than a run, then pass the ball. But this goes along with what I said to start. You must have the offensive mind and the quarterback to execute this kind of game plan. If you don’t have that quarterback, then running the ball is still a viable option because it takes away pressure on the quarterback and eats up clock.

Defense still matters

Let’s talk defense, since there wasn’t much of it last night.

Can you play with little to no defense and win a Super Bowl? I say no. There’s still a place in this game for defense, for needing a stop when it matters, a stop that isn’t a turnover. You need some defense so you’re not allowing over 40 points every time you face a great offense.

We’ve seen the best way to derail a high powered offense is hitting the quarterback. It worked for the Rams last night. They had two strip sacks, and those made the difference in the game.

Speaking of strip sacks, Aaron Donald … oh my.

We know Donald is a beast, but I’ll tell you what impresses me the most about him. Donald routinely makes impact plays when help is heading his way. When a lineman is facing Donald and getting help, the goal is forcing Donald to rush inside towards the center. Donald typically lines up over the outside shoulder of the guard, so it would require the guard to over-set Donald. An over-set is a pass set where the offensive lineman is so wide it forces the pass defender to rush inside because there’s an opening to the quarterback there. It’s the path of least resistance.

An over-set is the way to use your help properly if the center is sliding your way. It’s typically easy to over-set a defender and get them to rush inside to the help. Not with Donald. He’s so quick off the ball and his hands are so powerful, that he’s able to control the guard and rush the edge, even with the guard trying to set so wide that it forces Donald back inside. I admire the ability of Donald to beat a double-team this way. Not many out there have the freakish abilities to do that.

Overreaction No. 2: This was a Super Bowl preview

Sorry, neither of these teams is likely making the Super Bowl.

Last night was so much fun to watch. It was an excellent night for the NFL as a whole. But, these teams aren’t making the Super Bowl.

Like I said above, there has to be some defense to make a run through the playoffs. Even the Eagles, who allowed 33 points to the Patriots, shut down the Falcons and Vikings in the playoffs before winning in Minneapolis. The Patriots shut down the Jaguars last season in the second half of the AFC championship game.

I have no faith either that the Rams or Chiefs defenses can make enough stops when it matters to win their conferences.

Super Bowl or not, we got to see an amazing game last night. Just savor it.