Drue Tranquill & Chris Jones vs the Ravens; Big plays beyond the box score
Looking closer at two Chiefs defenders who were instrumental in beating the Ravens
If you’ve been reading this newsletter (or my various musings at my prior stomping grounds of The Athletic and Arrowhead Pride) for any length of time, you probably know there are two major themes two my writing.
The first is that football is a beautifully intricate sport. I often compare it to a room full of interconnected levers. You pull one, and a dozen others (some you expected, some you did not) are affected as well. How it all ties together is fascinating and a puzzle that the best coaches and players are able to solve.
The second, and probably most important thing I want people to take away from the work we do here is this; The box score does not capture everything that is happening on the field. I’d argue it doesn’t even capture most things.
I want to talk about a little of both today while giving praise where it’s due to Drue Tranquill and Chris Jones, two of the most important defense players to the Chiefs’ victory over the Ravens in the AFC Championship. The box score doesn’t really show it, but other than perhaps L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie, nobody affected the game on the defensive side of the ball more than Jones and Tranquill.
Let’s talk about how Tranquill/Jones changed the game on crucial downs in ways that aren’t necessarily reflected by their stats, and how their ability to make plays pulled levers that forced Baltimore off their game. I think it makes sense to start with Tranquill, who came to Kansas City as a relatively unheralded free agent but has been absolutely vital to the defense playing as well as it has this season. It’s time he gets the credit he deserves.