Chiefs’ defense focused on containing this Chargers ‘game wrecker’ Sunday
Every week leading up to game day, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo receives an updated depth chart from the team’s pro personnel department.
Spagnuolo said players labeled as “stars” are highlighted in red. That’s the case again approaching Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Only this week, the players the Chiefs’ defense must watch outnumber those posed by most other opponents.
“There was about six or seven reds with this team,” Spagnuolo said of the Chargers Thursday. “Usually, we have three. That tells you all you need to know about them.”
From quarterback Philip Rivers to running back Melvin Gordon to wide receiver Keenan Allen, among others, the Chargers have plenty of talent on offense in spite of their 5-10 record.
But what about third-year pro running back Austin Ekeler, who shares the Chargers’ backfield duties with Gordon. How is the dual-threat running back identified on the Chiefs’ chart?
“He was red; bright red,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s one of those guys that we label as a game wrecker, or who can be a game wrecker. We can’t let that happen.”
Spagnuolo would know, of course, after watching Ekeler total 132 yards in the Chargers’ 24-17 loss to the Chiefs in Week 11. Of the yards he gained that day, 108 came on eight catches in a game where Rivers targeted Ekeler 12 times.
Stopping Ekeler is easier said than done. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder who entered the league in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Western Colorado has come into his own as a one-man wrecking crew.
He recorded a 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, and enters Sunday’s showdown against the Chiefs with 1,461 totals yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.
Most of his production has come as a receiver. He’s recorded 83 catches for 950 yards and eight touchdowns this season, leaving him 50 yards shy of a 1,000-yard campaign with one game to go.
While the league is full of running backs capable of hauling in a pass out of the backfield, Spagnuolo shared some attributes that elevate Ekeler above other pass-catching tailbacks.
“He’s nifty,” Spagnuolo said. “I mean, he just has wide receiver moves. And the one thing he does with the ball like most running backs that can catch it, when he catches it and turns himself into a running back, he’s a problem with yards after the catch.
“It’s the explosive plays that get you in trouble on defense. They’ve got a number of players that Philip Rivers has that can create an explosive play, and he’s one of them.”
Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill knows Ekeler is a dynamic talent.
“There’s not many guys like him that can catch the ball, make a move in the open field and make an explosive play,” Thornhill said. “So, we definitely have to be aware of where he is ...”
Thornhill said he didn’t really know what to expect from Ekeler the first time he played against him. That encounter provided numerous lessons that the rookie plans to apply during Sunday’s meeting.
The Chiefs’ five-game winning streak since Week 11 also provides confidence. The KC defense has allowed just 9.6 points per game during that span.
Thornhill believes he and his defensive teammates are well-prepared to deal with the dual-threat Ekeler Sunday.
“Since we played against him one time this season, we know what to expect,” Thornhill said. “I think we have a really good plan for it.”
