Andy Reid has the screen game firing on all cylinders again
The Chiefs got the screen game on track against the Raiders in their 31-0 shellacking.
Andy Reid has often been considered one of the best offensive minds in all of football. His imprint on the game is vast and will be remembered throughout the lifetime of the sport. From his West Coast offensive principles to his ability to adapt with a changing landscape and the creative trick plays, there is no shortcoming in areas of offense that Reid doesn’t have his fingers intertwined with. With all that being said, the area of offense that Andy Reid may be remembered for the most when all is said and done wasn’t mentioned above, and that is his screen game.
Throughout his time as an offensive coach — spanning back to his time at Missouri as an offensive line coach — Reid has been a master of the screen game. From drilling down on details such as how to pass off rushers, the proper timing with the departure steps, to the angles of releases the receiver of the pass takes. It’s something he clearly takes great care and pride in, so it had been a sad sight to see the Chiefs’ screen game the past few seasons fall a little flat compared to previous Reid-coached teams.
That tide could be turning back in Reid’s favor if this past game is any indication of what is to come. The Chiefs have finally gotten to field a fully healthy receiving room with the return of Rashee Rice, and Reid got right back to exploiting softer coverage with a highly effective screen game. Let’s take a dive into the film to see how the Chiefs may be getting their once elite screen game back on track.
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Chiefs Screen Game
The Chiefs' screen game — both in terms of volume and efficiency — took a pretty significant step back in 2024, as did the majority of the offense. Various things could account for the drop, but the numbers don’t lie. The Chiefs went from a 14.8% screen rate in 2023 to a 12.8% screen rate in 2024, with an even split across WR and RB screens in the lost volume. On their screen plays, they also dropped from +0.18 EPA/drop back, which was second in the NFL, to 0.00 EPA/drop back, which was tenth.
To start the 2025 season, the Chiefs have actually dropped the volume of screens even further, down to just 12.1% with a bigger drop coming on their wide receiver screens. A lot of that could be attributed to not having Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy for the entire year. What is notable, however, is that their EPA/drop back has climbed back up to +0.14 EPA/drop back, which is seventh best, with a few teams holding higher spots on very limited volume.
In the game vs the Raiders, the Chiefs had a screen rate of 15% with only one of six screen passes not resulting in a successful play — that was Rice’s Bubble Screen on the goal line.
The bread and butter
These may not be the most impactful plays on the menu, but they’re the easiest to execute, you can run them at a high volume, and there are endless varieties. This is the Chiefs’ staple screen play — or a version of it — that isn’t ever going anywhere. It’s a simple Bubble Screen off of an Outside Zone RPO. The Chiefs will run this to receivers split out wide, in the slot, or like they have here in these very tight splits. They have a lot of variations of the RPO Bubble Screen, but this one, with the number one receiver aligned tight to two tight ends, was the design for the Raiders game.
This particular design is a nice twist on a more traditional Bubble Screen that sees a slot receiver work behind an outside wide receiver. The fact that tight ends are the blockers is a nice bonus, but the real fun is in the alignment and blocking angles. Starting with the former, you are unlikely to get a defender up tight on the line of scrimmage over the eventual receiving target. Being in this tight of a bunch, the outermost receiver protects them from facing direct press coverage. It’s also a bit of a surprise to throw an outside Bubble Screen to a player already aligned the furthest outside and can catch potential force defenders flat-footed.
Then we move on to the blocking angles, which start with the inner-most “F” tight end. On both plays, the in-line tight end is actually off the line of scrimmage, and they are being tasked with a long arc block to the outside to get the cornerback. While they do this, the “Y” tight end aligned in a tight split on the line of scrimmage comes in and stacks blocks the nearest second-level defender. This angle for the “Y” tight end is friendly, creates an easy seal, while the “F” tight end serves two purposes.
First, they are working out into space to catch the cornerback, but due to coming on an arc trajectory behind the “Y” tight end, it can create a delayed recognition. Secondly, the arc releases forces the defensive end to slow play their get off the line of scrimmage. With a tight end aligned in front of them but off the line of scrimmage, they must read their release and actions rather than just flying upfield. That small hesitation to either avoid contact with the tight end to quicken their pressure or hesitation while trying to read the release opens up just enough time for an unimpeded throw. It’s a well-flushed-out design on a staple play the Chiefs will continue to run all season that now can be run out of 12 personnel in a tight alignment while still getting the ball to a more dynamic player.