Andy Reid shocks the NFL by revealing the hidden flaw in the Chiefs’ running game — and unveils his bold plan to fix it immediately.QQ
The Chiefs have some serious work to do when it comes to how they approach the running game.
One of the biggest frustrations coming out of the Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos was the Kansas City Chiefs’ lack of commitment to the running game.
The Chiefs ran 70 offensive plays against the Broncos. With Isiah Pacheco sidelined by a knee injury, Kareem Hunt was the only running back to touch the ball on Sunday afternoon, recording 13 carries for 59 yards (4.6 yards per carry average) and one touchdown. Patrick Mahomes threw the ball 45 times during the game and didn’t pick up much slack on the ground either. It’s a painful imbalance that is putting far too much pressure on the passing game to succeed, and it’s not the only time that it has happened this season.
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When asked about his confidence in the running game and lack of run-pass balance on Monday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about Run-Pass Option (RPO).
“So, I know you know all this, but we’re calling quite a few of the RPOs,” Reid told reporters. “So, yesterday they were giving us opportunities to throw the football, so we utilized the opportunities there. And those things end up being as good as a run for either. We’re getting four-plus yards, and you go with it, but the runs are being called. It’s just, you know, sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world. You know, that’s how it goes. But we’re getting them, we’re getting them in. Now we have some hard runs where you just get up, line up, and go. Probably could call more of those.”
The purpose of the RPO at its inception was to put the defense in conflict, but that only works when you’ve got a balanced split between successful running plays and passing plays. Right now, the Chiefs are far from that.
The Chiefs’ offense appears to be overly reliant on RPOs
According to Stathead, the Chiefs have run 87 RPOs during the first 10 games of the 2025 NFL season. That’s the third-most in the NFL behind the Washington Commanders (117) and the New Orleans Saints (94). Of those 87 RPOs, 70 of them have been passing plays resulting in 573 passing yards (8.1 yards per play). Those 70 passes on RPOs lead the entire NFL by 13 plays. Just 17 of the called RPOs have been handed off to the running back, resulting in 107 rushing yards (6.3 yards per carry average). That’s over 80% pass rate on RPOs. The only teams with a higher percentage of passing plays on RPOs this season are the Carolina Panthers (87.5%) and the Atlanta Falcons (100%).
Most yards gained on RPOs in 2025 (via Stathead):
- Washington Commanders: 767
- Kansas City Chiefs: 676
- New Orleans Saints: 526
- Indianapolis Colts: 488
- Green Bay Packers: 485
Reid has always viewed the short passing game and the screen game as an extension of the running game throughout his NFL career. There’s some logic to that for this Kansas City team, since it keeps the ball in the hands of the best player in the league, Patrick Mahomes. At the same time, with the team passing the ball at such a high clip on these plays, it lessens their effectiveness because teams can key in on the passing game, knowing there’s less than a 20% chance they’ll hand the ball off, even though they’ve been pretty successful when they do.
The solution here feels pretty simple, and Coach Reid touched on it on Monday. Beyond simply finding a better balance between passes and runs on RPOs, you call more straight running plays on downs, distances, and against defensive alignments when it makes sense. It’s going to help keep the defenses honest and keep your offense from getting stale and predictable.
