The value of Mitch Schwartz, as demonstrated in the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls
It's impossible to overstate how important his 2021 return could be for the Chiefs
This time a few weeks ago, I didn’t believe there was much chance we would see All Pro right tackle Mitch Schwartz suit up again.
After watching him sit out most of the 2020 season due to back issues (after a career in which he missed a grand total of one snap in 8 seasons previously), it was hard to not believe that Schwartz would hang it up after the season. Back issues are problematic, and Schwartz has had a very full and successful career already, being one of the best tackles in the game for most of that time. There’s nothing left for him to prove, and a person of his varied talents and interests was never going to lack for post-football opportunities.
That’s why this news was such a pleasant surprise today.
Schwartz is clearly planning on getting healthy and suiting up in 2021. One can reasonably extrapolate from this that he believes his injury is an issue they can fix up and have him return to full health.
It’s very nearly impossible to overstate how good of news this is for the Chiefs. One way I could try to say it is “it’s such good news that I dropped everything to write briefly about why it’s such great news.”
But the best way would be to tell people to turn on tape of the 2020 Super Bowl, then compare that to the 2019 Super Bowl. While you might say, “Seth, that’s not really fair, the Chiefs OL was much healthier in the 2019 Super Bowl,” my response would be this; Yes, that line was significantly healthier, but by and large it got dominated across the board for much of the game. With a notable exception at right tackle.
Schwartz won his individual battles time after time in last year’s Super Bowl, and it had a ripple effect across the entire offense.
On this snap, it’s easy to see that Mahomes comes under pressure due to Nick Bosa being an alien. But look past that and you’ll see Schwartz’s impact in both what the Chiefs can do on the interior AND to help Mahomes overcome the pressure.
First, note that Schwartz has no help from the inside, partially due to the alignment of the 49ers. But LDT can be completely unconcerned about Schwartz’s matchup with Ford (which he dominated in a nearly comic fashion), and Reiter is able to help out against the more dangerous interior rusher (Armstead). When a tackle can be confidently left alone against the edge rusher, it allows the interior offensive line to focus on doubling and bunching inside, and can help hide weaknesses.
Being able to leave Schwartz on an island was something the Chiefs counted on to help with their interior line struggles in 2019, and it was desperately missed down the stretch in 2020.
But further than that, Schwartz’s win here guiding Ford around the edge allowed Mahomes to step to his right in order to shake off Bosa, and even put Schwartz in position to (accidentally, I’m sure) lay a big hit on Bosa that knocked him down.
It’s hard to do, but try to imagine what this snap looks like if Schwartz doesn’t dominate his rep and allows some pressure. It’s likely a sack of Mahomes, as he would have had nowhere to move. That’s exactly what the 2020 Super Bowl looked like when both tackles were badly losing their matchups. Having even one player who can win consistently helps make everyone look a bit better and can help prevent pressure becoming exponential (coming from multiple angles and on more snaps).
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This wasn’t a one-time occurrence, either. It was throughout the game, including on some crucial conversions.
This snap is a similar situation to the previous one. The Chiefs give up pressure against a stunt on one side, but Mahomes is able to hold the ball for a tick and doesn’t need to move towards the incoming pressure because Schwartz recovers and walls off a nice power rush by Ford. That allows him just a breath of air to find Watkins for a first down.
Again, imagine this snap without Schwartz winning. Given the pressure elsewhere, Mahomes needing to move ANYWHERE away from the right side means he’s either stuck scrambling around or is sacked. So, again, basically what we saw in the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.
Schwartz’s playoff run in 2019 was quietly one of the best and most undersold playoff performances I can think of. Much like he had for years, he routinely dominated his matchups and was able to be left 1x1 in various situations, which gave Andy Reid more options in play calls AND allowed Mahomes an extra second on multiple occasions.
Schwartz is a technician, who wins in ways that are beautiful to watch. Watch his hands here against Watt in the divisional round.
One of Schwartz’s favorite moves against strong rushers is to feint a punch, getting the defender to lunge and get off-balance trying to counter. He then resets his hands and goes over the top of the lunge, guiding the rusher harmlessly around the corner. It’s a move that requires excellent timing and control, things Schwartz has in spades. His technical dominance makes him look less imposing than more powerful tackles, but he wins snap after snap when healthy almost regardless of opponent. His performances against great rushers often look almost identical to his performances against career backups, and that’s a massive compliment.
If Schwartz’s surgery goes as well as he seems to expect, the Chiefs get back the best right tackle in the game next season. That not only provides a big lift for the offense, but makes the tackle situation (with Fisher’s torn achilles) less dire. It has a trickle effect on game planning and the rest of the line in a way that almost no other added lineman could.
Just as importantly, a great player being able to keep playing when he wants to is always a good thing. Schwartz has been one of the best and most important players of the Andy Reid era since he came to Kansas City in 2016, and hopefully he’s able to continue his career on his own terms and go back to dominating the right side like he has from day one with the Chiefs.
Great news, indeed! It's much easier to find ONE suitable replacement at tackle than two. The Chiefs would have found themselves in a nearly impossible situation attempting to find starting caliber tackles on both sides. Mitch's return increases the odds that Veach will be able to fill the LT hole either in-house or via free agency.
When I saw this reported, I thought "I'm going to have to tune in to 810 to see if they have Seth on to talk about this." Thank you for not making me wait!