Chiefs’ pass defense is one of their greatest assets now. Just ask opposing receivers
Many of the NFL’s top wide receivers came up yards short in 2019 against the Kansas City Chiefs’ pass defense.
The list includes DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, Julian Edelman, Stefon Diggs, Courtland Sutton, Kenny Golladay and rookie standout A.J. Brown, all of whom recorded 1,000 yards or more this season.
In fact, just four players totaled 100 yards receiving in a single game against the Chiefs in 2019, and the Jaguars’ D.J. Chark was the lone wide receiver on the list — and that came in the season opener at Jacksonville. The others were tight end Darren Waller and running backs Aaron Jones and Austin Ekeler.
That’s right. The Chiefs allowed just one wide receiver a 100-yard game this season in today’s pass-happy NFL.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said.
A vastly improved Chiefs defensive secondary helped the team’s overall pass defense finish the regular season ranked eighth in the league after ranking 31st in that category in 2018.
The one-year turnaround is pretty remarkable.
A total of eight opposing players, including five wide receivers, topped 100 yards in a single game against the Chiefs two seasons ago. And the Chiefs allowed two 100-yard receiving efforts in consecutive games to start the 2018 season: against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 (Allen, Melvin Gordon), and vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 (receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Jesse James).
That was then, this is now.
“That means a lot of guys are working together,” Hitchens said. “The pass (defense) isn’t just defensive backs, it’s not just guys rushing, it’s not just linebackers. It’s all of them. We call it, ‘Rush and Cover.’ We cover each other.”
Cornerback Charvarius Ward agreed.
“We’re a good unit,” Ward said. “We’ve been learning to work together all season. … Now, we’re way more fine-tuned. We know all the details and we’re just balling.”
Rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman said he noticed during practices against his defensive teammates how well the pass defense was playing as the season progressed.
“That’s when we figured out they could be as good as they are now,” Hardman said.
Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien, who is preparing his team to face the Chiefs on Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round at Arrowhead Stadium, complimented what defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has in place to execute his scheme.
“In order to have a good pass defense, you’ve got to have really what the Chiefs have,” O’Brien said Tuesday during a teleconference. “And that’s really great guys that can rush the passer, in Frank Clark, Chris Jones and (Terrell) Suggs, those guys up front.
“Then, obviously the corners and the safeties with Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) and (Bashaud) Breeland, and the corners — (Kendall) Fuller — that can play coverage behind it. Then, the scheme. Coach Spagnuolo’s scheme is just a very, very difficult scheme to get ready for, so it’s a big challenge and the Chiefs have all those criteria.”
In Spagnuolo’s first season, the Chiefs switched from last year’s 3-4 base defense to the 4-3 scheme. The proof of improvement is in the numbers.
The fast turnaround against the pass also has a lot do with the Chiefs did during the offseason in free agency and the draft.
Mathieu and Clark arrived during free agency, while the Chiefs used a second-round pick on Juan Thornhill during the 2019 NFL Draft. The trio helped stabilize the pass defense when combined with the steady play of starting cornerbacks Breeland, Fuller and Ward. Thornhill suffered a torn ACL in the final regular-season game, but the Chiefs have options to fill his role with Fuller or second-year safety Armani Watts.
Suggs arrived before Week 16 of the regular season after being claimed off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals and now gives the Chiefs a formidable triple-threat pass rush alongside Clark and Jones for the postseason.
But to find what really helped the pass defense improve this season, look no further than the presence of Mathieu, Clark and Thornhiill.
“All three of those guys are special players,” Ward said. “I mean, Tyrann made first- and second-team All-Pro. I’ve never seen anybody do that. Juan could’ve been a Rookie Defensive Player of the Year candidate; he played well all season. Frank Clark, we know what he brings to the table. He’s a dog and a great pass rusher.”
The 2019 Chiefs’ ability to hold their own against a formidable opposing wide receiver is all the more impressive in today’s video game-like league, where rules slant heavily in the offense’s favor.
This season produced 1,332 total touchdowns across the league, the third-most in a single season in NFL history, and the 11,680 total points scored in 2019 tied for the third-most.
Quarterbacks led the charge, of course, but they found plenty of targets to pad their production.
Twenty-nine players around the NFL totaled 1,000 or more yards receiving in 2019, and four wide receivers produced 100 catches or more, an impressive list that includes Hopkins (104), Allen (104), Michael Thomas (a single-season record 149), and Julian Edelman (100). Christian McCaffrey, the Carolina Panthers’ dual-threat running back, had 116 catches.
Hopkins, who totaled nine catches for 55 yards on 12 targets against the Chiefs in Week 6, gets another opportunity to crack the 100-yard barrier Sunday. He remains Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s favorite target.
But the proven and battle-tested Chiefs’ pass defense will be ready to face Houston’s three-time All-Pro wide receiver, and the unit’s goal is simple: limit Hopkins’ ability to take over a game.
“Do the same thing we did with him last time,” Ward said. “Be physical with him, don’t get beat deep, watch his double moves, tackle him when he catches the ball, because he’s good after the catch. Do what we did the last time we played them and we’ll be OK.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
