The most underappreciated player on the Kansas City Chiefs? It might be this lineman
The stars excelled as the Chiefs roared through four playoff victories capped by their Super Bowl LVIII triumph last season. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, L’Jarius Sneed, Harrison Butker and others put their signatures on each game.
But do the Chiefs win it all without contributions from some unsung heroes? Plays like Deon Bush’s end zone interception on one of his three defensive snaps in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens or Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s drive-stopping tackle for loss of Christian McCaffrey in the Super Bowl also defined the run.
If a player symbolized the underappreciated during the run, it may have been defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
Signed by the Chiefs to the practice squad in October to bolster depth, Pennel started getting reps in December after an injury to Derrick Nnadi.
The playing time increased during the postseason when Pennel logged 115 snaps over four games, and more than 50% of the snaps against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, when he saved his best effort for the biggest game.
Pennel’s run defense helped limit the 49ers to 110 rushing yards, their lowest total since Week 7, and his 82.6 game grade by Pro Football Focus was the second highest for a Chiefs defender.
Pennel had been here before ... with the Chiefs and in a Super Bowl. He was member of the 2019 team that beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl, getting 15 snaps, and played in the Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following season.
In between Kansas City stints, Pennel had been with the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears. He’s started his 11th NFL season with the Chiefs on a one-year contract.
Kansas City is where he wanted to be, and not just because he’s a native of Topeka.
“I was going into my 10th year and I didn’t want to play somewhere just to play,” Pennel said. “I wanted to play for something. I stayed in shape. Thankfully it worked out that I could be in Kansas City.”
Pennel will be part of an interior defensive line rotation that includes Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton and Nnadi, who hasn’t practiced in training camp with a triceps injury. And part of a defense that finished second in the NFL in fewest points and yards surrendered.
With nearly the entire defensive line returning, including starting ends Mike Danna and George Karlaftis, Pennel sees similar success ahead because of the team’s work ethic.
“My intent is to make us a stout and top run defense,” Pennel said. “Not only in the playoffs like we did last year ... but through the entire regular season so (that) by the playoffs it’s not an issue or concern or anything like that.”