<table> </table> After waiting patiently for three seasons for Derrick Johnson to become a Pro Bowl-type linebacker, the Chiefs had plenty of preseason evidence that the transformation had taken place.</p><p>Johnson made one big play after another: tough hits, tackles for negative yardage, chasing down plays from long range, batting down passes at the line. It was all there, and the Chiefs couldn&#8217;t wait to unleash him on the rest of the league once the regular season started.</p><p>But the preseason is where Johnson&#8217;s big plays stopped. Other than a sack in New England, Johnson&#8217;s season has been filled with plays more like one last week in Atlanta, when he inexplicably overran a running play and allowed a long run to Jerious Norwood.</p><p>To the 0-3 Chiefs, that ranks among the season&#8217;s biggest disappointments, perhaps behind only the injury to Brodie Croyle.</p><p>&#8220;I thought,&#8221; coach Herm Edwards said, &#8220;he was going to be a lot better than he is right now, too.&#8221;</p><p>Count Johnson there as well. He had the same expectations for himself and believed after his big preseason that he had arrived as a member of the elite.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;m playing badly,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;But I&#8217;m a player that should be making a lot of plays, and I&#8217;m not. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m disappointed about. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do that. Sometimes I&#8217;m too hard on myself, so I get frustrated about that sometimes.</p><p>&#8220;The preseason was so good for me that it&#8217;s hard for me to believe I haven&#8217;t really shown up much the last couple of games.&#8221;</p><p>Johnson certainly isn&#8217;t responsible for all the defensive problems. With the Chiefs getting knocked off the line of scrimmage, missing tackles and failing to get pressure on the opposing quarterback, the culprits are many.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re all together in this, so it really isn&#8217;t fair to put this all on DJ,&#8221; linebacker Pat Thomas said. &#8220;He&#8217;s having a decent year, and I know he&#8217;ll have a better year.&#8221;</p><p>But the Chiefs are clearly in need of some game-altering plays, and Johnson is perhaps the most capable of delivering them.</p><p>&#8220;Those plays will come,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;If I keep working at it, they&#8217;ll come in bunches. They always come in bunches. We&#8217;ve just got to win a game. Once we start winning, then I&#8217;ll be more excited about trying to make a play. Me making a big play would definitely help us win.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got to be confident that it&#8217;s going to come. It&#8217;s going to happen. My teammates are counting on it. It still could be my year. It&#8217;s still early in the season, but when you&#8217;re losing, everything gets magnified.&#8221;</p><p>The Chiefs have lost 12 straight regular-season games dating to last season. With every successive defeat, the pressure compounds not only on Johnson but his teammates as well to come through.</p><p>Johnson acknowledged it wears on him.</p><p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t see how this team can play against the Patriots the way we did and then play the way we did against two teams that aren&#8217;t a lot better than us,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;The way the defense is playing right now makes it tough. Losing makes it worse.&#8221;</p><p>Edwards said, &#8220;He&#8217;s struggling a bit mentally. He&#8217;s thinking too much and not just playing. He&#8217;s trying to do everything picture-perfect. He&#8217;s not that kind of guy. He needs to go play with his athletic ability. He&#8217;s got enough athletic ability to make plays.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s pressing, and when you&#8217;re doing that, it&#8217;s never any good.&#8221;</p><p>Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham counseled Johnson this week, telling him not to get down on himself. But the situation calls for some urgency.</p><p>Denver comes to Arrowhead Stadium at 3-0. The subsequent two opponents, 2-1 Carolina and 3-0 Tennessee, are also in first place in their respective divisions.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m still going to try to be the leader of this defense,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;These guys need to see me go.</p><p>&#8220;The last three games, the way they&#8217;ve been, I just can&#8217;t wait to get to Sunday.&#8221;