Kansas City Chiefs made this dramatic improvement in 2021 — helped by a BBQ favorite

In one season, Michael Burton seems to have already earned Andy Reid’s favor.

Proof? The Kansas City Chiefs fullback has picked up his own nickname — and a barbecue one at that — from the team’s head coach.

“Burnt ends, I guess, is something that’s a little popular out here. So it’s ‘Burt Ends.’ I’ve heard that a few times,” Burton said with a laugh. “I don’t know if it’s exactly stuck yet, but I’ve heard that thrown around a little bit.”

Burton certainly earned a revered title based on his play from a season ago.

Perhaps most notably, the 6-foot, 243-pound eighth-year veteran was a key factor in turning a Chiefs 2020 weakness into a strength — with his teammates’ assistance and some clever scheming from coaches.

In 2020, the Chiefs struggled in short-yardage situations, ranking 22nd in the NFL in conversion rate on third and fourth downs with 1 to 3 yards to go, according to Sports Reference.

However, Burton’s addition to the roster was part of a dramatic shift in 2021. The Chiefs were far and away the league’s best team in that same split last season, getting first downs on 65% of those plays compared to 48% the year before.

Burton especially helped the Chiefs’ ground game. He had eight rushes on third and fourth downs with 1-3 yards to go last season ... and all eight went for first downs. In doing so, he became just the 13th running back since 1994 — via Sports Reference — to have eight or more of those rushes in a season with all of them moving the chains.

Pro Football Focus suggests Burton deserves plenty of credit for contributing to that in-the-trenches efficiency; the site’s grading system had Burton leading all 16 NFL fullbacks last season in both overall grade (82.1) and run grade (82.9).

Sit down with Burton, though, and he’s more ready to talk about how the Chiefs put him in an ideal position to succeed. And a review of those eight successful runs only confirms his message: the secret to KC’s grind-it-out prosperity often could be found in the details.

This is where Reid and his offensive staff play a critical role. An example: On many of Burton’s runs — including one against Cleveland in the season-opener — the Chiefs sent speedy receiver Tyreek Hill in motion to freeze defenders who could’ve potentially disrupted the play.

“Some eye candy — get the defense looking at him as he’s running this way, I go this way ... there’s different things you can do,” Burton told The Star. “We have players that can do that now moving forward too, so I’m sure hopefully, we’ll see that continue.”

And even when defenses started to counter that, Reid and his staff found ways to make adjustments while setting up their own responses.

Take the Philadelphia game as an example. Burton was able to get the first down on a third-and-short run early, though he was brought down from behind by crashing defensive end Derek Barnett after a five-yard gain.

Chiefs coaches appeared to take notice. In the fourth quarter, KC returned to a similar formation with Burton on the field, faking it as Barnett again committed himself to the interior run. That left quarterback Patrick Mahomes plenty of perimeter space on play-action to complete a five-yard pass to Darrel Williams.

Though an illegal formation penalty called that first down back, it was an example of how the Chiefs turned Burton’s run threat into a more profound dilemma for opponents.

And KC thrived by keeping opponents guessing in other ways too.

Most weeks, the Chiefs would scheme up tiny changes to Burton’s runs to make it difficult for opponents to anticipate them. Sometimes, that meant additional shifting to hide the Chiefs’ intentions; other games, they’d get to the play from a new formation, adding an extra offensive lineman or running the play with either one back or two.

Burton says the goal is not to let the defense pick up a “tell,” or a key that would allow it a split-second advantage of figuring out the play that’s coming before it happens. That ability to keep defenders guessing — while also moving those players’ eyes to different places before the snap — can be the difference between no gain or two yards in a pivotal spot.

KC’s coaches also deserve credit, Burton says, for the team’s preparation each week. For example, the aiming point on his short-yardage runs changes from game to game, depending on the potential weakness of the opponent’s defensive front.

Teaching is essential too. Burton said getting players to master those small changes in the game plan each week helps not only with proper execution but also to free up minds.

“In a short situation like that, you want to play with your hair on fire, you want to play fast, you want to play downhill,” Burton said. “And you’re able to do that if you have a good understanding of what’s going on.”

It’s also helpful to have guys up front who can move people — and Burton benefited from following teammates who could do that last season.

Among the additions up front were rookie center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith. Both brought physicality to an offensive line that, during many Burton rushes, bulldozed a clear path through the middle.

That included Burton’s only rushing touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers, as Humphrey and Smith overwhelmed defenders to help Burton get to the second level.

The play worked for other reasons as well. Hill and Williams sprinted toward the opposite sideline as distractions, while Burton ran through arm tackles, dragging two defenders into the end zone for the seven-yard score.

It was an accurate snapshot of how the Chiefs became the NFL’s best short-yardage team in 2021:

Brains. Brute force.

And of course, “Burt Ends.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansas City Chiefs made this dramatic improvement in 2021 — helped by a BBQ favorite."

Jesse Newell

The Kansas City Star

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Jesse Newell covered the Chiefs for The Star until August 2025. He won an EPPY for best sports blog and previously was named top beat writer in his circulation by AP’s Sports Editors. His interest in sports analytics comes from his math teacher father, who handed out rulers to Trick-or-Treaters each year.