Five reasons the Chiefs’ defense is (finally, and seriously) playing well
They say a story’s lede should jump out to the reader and grab attention right away, but the subject here is shocking enough that at least this once we’ll do the opposite.
You sitting down?
Yes? OK.
*whispers*
The Chiefs’ defense is good.
I know! Crazy, right?
But it’s true. The last three years have built up enough muscle memory that lots of fans complain about the Chiefs’ defense straight through a 26-23 win in which coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s group held the league’s leading rusher to 3.4 yards per carry, the league’s No. 4 receiver to one catch on five targets, and the league’s No. 4 offense in yards per game to its third-lowest point total of the season — and a three-and-out with the game on the line.
Exhale.
But, what the heck is happening?
This is the same group that gave up 761 rushing yards in four games and generally gave off the appearance of incompetence the first six weeks of this season.
Some of us — because, ahem, this horn won’t toot itself — have been saying the defense would steadily improve as the season went on.
The Chiefs rank 11th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and fourth against the pass. They are in the league’s top half in yards per play allowed, fewest missed tackles, completion percentage against, quarterback hits, sacks, third-down defense and more.
There’s a lot to like here.
A disclaimer: There are no guarantees this will continue. Football is the ultimate test of adjustments, which we’ll get into below, and all it’ll take for this group to be remembered as another disappointment is one bad matchup or weakness exploited at the wrong time.
But it has been three years — long enough ago that Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry were still good — since the Chiefs’ defense has given us reason for optimism. It’s worth examining how.
Here are five explanations.
1. Steve Spagnuolo
This season was always going to be a mandate of sorts on Spagnuolo’s value. The Chiefs’ defense had nosedived from a strength in former coordinator Bob Sutton’s first few years to a weakness and finally an anvil.
Sutton is a smart coach, but his greatest failing the last few years was a reluctance or inability to adjust. Offenses knew they could manipulate the Chiefs’ personnel and responsibilities based on substitution patterns and formations.
The Chiefs didn’t blitz much, didn’t use many stunts up front, didn’t put much into disguising coverages. Success or failure too often rested solely on personnel and execution, which was made more difficult by opponents knowing exactly what to exploit.
Spagnuolo is adjusting every week, and within games. The Chiefs are blitzing 33 percent more often than a year ago, but they’re also doing it with purpose. For instance, entering the Vikings game the Chiefs had blitzed 15 pass drop-backs in each of their three previous games, according to Pro Football Focus. That was a season high.
The Vikings appeared to be expecting more of that, but the Chiefs blitzed just seven times on Sunday. They played man when the Vikings appeared to expect zone, and vice-versa. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins had been the NFC offensive player of the month in October but completed just 19 of 38 passes against the Chiefs.
The most obvious adjustment that day was against Minnesota’s running backs in the passing game. The Chiefs had been burned by Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones the week before, and the Vikings clearly wanted to exploit Kansas City the same way. But Spagnuolo made a simple yet clear adjustment in keeping his linebackers away from man coverage against the Vikings’ backs.
Here is a play the Vikings planned as a shot against a linebacker, motioning Alexander Mattison to the edge. But watch the Chiefs communicate, with cornerback Charvarius Ward staying on the boundary and defending the play, preventing a touchdown.
2. Comfort
From the very beginning, the talk publicly and privately within the organization has been that this defense would improve at a rate generally equal to the comfort that was growing between Spagnuolo and his players.
That meant Spagnuolo gaining intel on the specific strengths and weaknesses of each player and having enough time to workshop different strategies.
It also meant players gaining more comfort with not only Spagnuolo’s calls, but the purposes behind those calls.
We can see some of that in the clip above, but also in how Spagnuolo is using certain guys. He’s given linebacker Reggie Ragland an increased role against the run since the Denver game, for instance, and limited his exposure in coverage.
We saw another example against the Vikings, with defensive lineman Chris Jones often lining up on the outside and fellow lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon setting up over the center.
This was borne partly out of necessity because of injuries, but it served at least two productive purposes: It’s harder to double-team Jones outside and Kpassagnon’s quickness can be overwhelming inside.
This play — and, yes, this was a white flag play-call on third and long by the Vikings — is a good example.
3. Scheme
All of these factors are interrelated in some way, but another angle here is that the Chiefs’ cornerbacks are presented with much better support than a year ago.
Some of this is plainly personnel. The Chiefs have gone from Ron Parker and Eric Murray taking the most snaps at safety to Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill, turning one of the league’s worst position groups into a strength.
Mathieu is talked about in borderline reverential terms in the Chiefs’ locker room. He is in that sweet spot of having both seven years of experience and the physical gifts of a 27-year-old. He is among the team’s hardest workers and most respected leaders.
Thornhill, meanwhile, deserves credit for growing into an important role as a rookie. That’s not easy, but he’s smart enough to shave time off the learning curve and blessed with enough athleticism to show out.
Some of this is scheme and priorities. The Chiefs have found an effective balance of allowing Mathieu and Thornhill opportunities to make impact plays while still positioning the two in a way that provides support for the cornerbacks.
This is the type of thing that’s hard to quantify, but it’s difficult not to believe this has played a part in Ward’s success — he’s 12th among 79 corners who’ve played 50 percent of their team’s snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ward’s strengths are in his length and hands. He is sometimes slow in turning his hips. Spagnuolo’s emphasis on press-man coverage amplifies Ward’s strengths, and deploying safeties to support corners in specific ways diminishes Ward’s weakness. Here’s a good example where Ward forces Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs inside toward help, part of the coverage that on this snap forces a dumpoff to the back and in other moments has created sacks.
4. Cohesion
Defensive lineman and vocal leader Jones, over and over and over again last year, called on the Chiefs’ defense to play together. He was a consistent defender of Sutton, even when given an opening to criticize.
At least publicly, Jones’ message was steady: Each player needed to fulfill his specific responsibility for the unit to achieve success.
That’s happening more consistently in recent weeks. In zone coverage, defenders are passing along and accepting receivers at the right moments. In man, the support is where it’s supposed to be. Against the run, one man working two blockers is opening a gap for a teammate.
It doesn’t always happen — it never always happens — and it’s usually subtle. But it’s an important part of the defense’s success. This has been most apparent against the run, and here it’s worth noting that after being gashed by the Ravens, Lions, Colts and Texans on the ground, the Chiefs have surrendered an average of fewer than 100 rushing yards against the Broncos, Packers and Vikings.
There were a bunch of snaps like this against the Vikings, but here is one where defenisive lineman Derrick Nnadi busies two blockers, fellow lineman Khalen Saunders forces a wider cut, and linebackers Damien Wilson (freed by Nnadi in front of him) and Ragland (who shed his man at the perfect moment) stuff the running back.
5. Individual growth
This is a critical part of the Chiefs’ defensive turnaround. It sounds obvious, but appreciation for individual players’ growth can sometimes be lost in the talk about Spagnuolo.
Players matter. They’re the ones who either perform or don’t.
We’ve talked a lot about Ward already and the impact of Mathieu in the secondary. Jones’ return from injury made an obvious difference against the Vikings.
But the defense’s overall improvement has also been created in no small part by individual growth from players like Nnadi and Kpassagnon.
Kpassagnon’s path is extraordinary. Just two years ago, he appeared to be an awkward fit and outside of what the Chiefs valued and were planning around.
Almost immediately after Spagnuolo’s hire, Kpassagnon was seen as someone who would benefit — not just from fresh eyes, but from the Chiefs’ switch to a 4-3. That’s been true, but it’s also obvious he’s improved his agility and technique.
We included a clip of Kpassagnon above, so lets focus on Nnadi here. His best two games as a pro have come in the last three weeks. If that’s a trend that sticks, the Chiefs have gained a genuine problem for opposing interior lines. Nnadi appears faster off the snap, better at shedding blockers when he needs to and more adept at knowing which way to push.
One more time: None of this is guarantees that the Chiefs’ defense is fixed. They still need to create more turnovers, pressure quarterbacks more often and prevent big plays.
But there are clear improvements being made, and what’s most encouraging is that those improvements are being made on solid ground.
For years, Chiefs fans have wondered how far their team could go with even an average defense. Finally, it appears they might get an answer.
This story was originally published November 8, 2019 at 5:00 AM.