The Kansas City Chiefs offense is regaining its mojo, and the easy explanation here is the return to health of the wide receiving corps. 

But it’s not that simple. Yes, receiver Xavier Worthy is back on the field after his shoulder injury, and the return of fellow wideout Rashee Rice is imminent. But a big part of this is really about the offensive line, as Nate Taylor of The Athletic outlined in a recent piece in which he did a deeper dive into film review. 

The basics behind this are straightforward. GM Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid knew they had to fix the offensive line during the offseason, so they signed left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency, and the Chiefs took a gamble on another left tackle, Josh Simmons, in the draft despite his injury history. 

This ended up being an excellent fix, but not in the way the Chiefs expected. Moore struggled in camp, so Simmons ended up playing left tackle, where he’s been surprisingly effective for a rookie. Kansas City also made another key move, shifting Kingsley Suamataia over to left guard to replace guard Joe Thuney, who was traded to the Chicago Bears. 

Basically, the Chiefs hit the trifecta with these three guys. The trio has performed well, and suddenly the O-line is once again a strength in Kansas City. Simmons missed Sunday’s game for personal reasons, but swing tackle Moore stepped up and did a solid job blocking Detroit Lion's star defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson. The Chiefs controlled the line of scrimmage effectively against the Lions on Sunday night, and Detroit’s frustration was obvious for most of the game. 

The to-do list for Reid and company has fixing the running game as the top agenda item going forward. They’re still not great at this, but at least there were signs of life against the Lions, with running back Isiah Pacheco finally breaking out a bit to get 51 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains the team’s rushing leader with 222 yards, but with Pacheco just eight yards behind him that stat shouldn’t last long. 

This week’s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders should provide a solid lab test for all this. The Raiders defense has been tough at times, and Las Vegas has been a tricky opponent for Kansas City for the last couple of seasons. Taking control of the line of scrimmage early would be a good way to prevent that from happening again this week, and the Chiefs are hoping their improved offensive line is up to the task.