What if the Chiefs are good at defense now? Sure looks like they’ve got it figured out
The theory hadn’t been tested, but it goes something like this: The Chiefs’ defensive players took those 50/50-ish home crowds against the Packers and Vikings personally.
They were hurt. Angry. Motivated.
Whatever the emotion, you can understand where it might’ve come from. With Patrick Mahomes injured, Chiefs fans unloaded their tickets for those games against two tough NFC North opponents because who would want to watch this defense?
We’ll get to the testing in a second, but it’s worth highlighting what’s happened since, particularly in the last two weeks: The Chiefs have won consecutively because of their defense for the first time in years, perhaps as far back as 2015.
Their best performance of the season — particularly if you judge on the curve of Not Playing Flacco — is their most recent, a 40-9 annihilation of the Oakland Raiders that featured three turnovers, another fourth-down stop and just one catch by an opposing wide receiver before a possession so entrenched in garbage time that CBS turned away around most of the country and many fans had long since left their seats.
“That was a beautiful thing,” Chiefs defensive lineman Alex Okafor said.
Patrick Mahomes And The Chiefs™ have ridden Steve Spagnolo’s defense (no ™) to wins over the Chargers and Raiders to effectively clinch an absurd fourth consecutive AFC West title.
The Chiefs are winning because of defense. What a time to be alive. That theory checks out, too, by the way.
Okafor nodded like a bobblehead, defensive teammate Tanoh Kpassagnon said “yes” three times in one second, and Anthony Hitchens said the defense “always talks about that.”
“We’re trying to set a whole other mentality,” Kpassagnon said. “Like: ‘We here.’”
The entirety of the Internet could be filled with disclaimers on this. Chargers QB Philip Rivers might be past his expiration date. Carr is closer to average now than great and has always stunk against the Chiefs in general and at Arrowhead Stadium in particular.
Two games have not changed the Chiefs’ deficiencies against the run, or against tight ends and backs in the passing game. Two games do not mean the defense didn’t go limp on the last drive against the Tennessee Titans, and they sure as heck don’t cover the wounds of the last few years.
But, also, isn’t it true that this is generally the real-life version of what the preseason optimist might’ve thought would happen?
The Chiefs’ defense generally struggled with communication early in the season, then with consistency in the middle of the season, and now appears to be playing its best late in the season.
“The system isn’t new anymore,” safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “We’re in December. I think everybody’s got a good feel for what they need to do, what they can do, and what they can’t do.”
The Raiders’ first six possessions went interception, punt, turnover on downs, interception returned for a touchdown, missed field goal and punt.
Rookie running back Josh Jacobs (104 yards on 17 carries) and tight end Darren Waller (100 yards on seven catches) were problems, which was very on-brand for the Chiefs’ defense, but everything else was squashed.
The secondary gave Carr few options downfield and the pass rushers never let him find comfort in the pocket. That, too, has become very on-brand for the Chiefs’ defense.
“It just takes time,” Hitchens said. “We have a lot of impatient people: coaches, fans, everyone. But it just takes time.”
The improvement appears to be sustainable, too. There are fewer big plays being allowed now for at least two reasons. First, Mathieu and fellow safety Juan Thornhill are playing well both individually and collectively.
Mathieu combines a sharp mind with a rock star’s confidence and a veteran’s understanding of football to make throwing to the middle of the field a little like dipping a hand into a piranha’s tank. Thornhill, the rookie, has improved tremendously, too, combining range with advancing aggression and ball skills on deeper throws.
The second reason that teams have found fewer big plays against the Chiefs in recent weeks is that KC’s communication is improving. This matches the theory that a new group of players with a new coaching staff would need time to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
It’s one thing to talk about this in meeting rooms, but the Chiefs have generally advanced from thinking to reacting, from hoping a teammate will be in a certain spot on a certain play to knowing he will.
“We’re doing the same exact thing,” Kpassagnon said. “But over time, it makes you more comfortable, being able to rely on guys. It’s like, ‘OK, Tyrann’s going to be here, I know he’s going to be here, so I can play this a certain way.’ Just knowing everybody, it just helps.”
Mathieu talks about Spagnuolo excelling on details, and of defensive backs coach Dave Merritt skillfully describing the broader mission.
Mathieu said he knew when the Raiders might throw deep based on what he saw before the snap, a combination of his own film study and what the coaches present during the week. That’s a hell of an advantage, allowing the Chiefs to go harder on both deep and short throws.
A thousand little things like that multiply into big things, and that’s before accounting for improved health for stars like defensive linemen Chris Jones and Frank Clark and improved play by younger players such as Thornhill and cornerback Charvarius Ward.
The theory we mentioned at the top is interesting to think about. It paints a picture of a proud group taking what amounts to a harsh reality check about what the home fans care about and using it the right way — for motivation.
Realistically, it probably doesn’t matter. Maybe it makes for a fun story, but the Chiefs aren’t playing better defense because a lot of their fans sold their tickets to opposing fans when Mahomes was hurt. They’re playing better defense because they’re healthier, communicating better, reacting quicker and understanding better each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
This season was always going to be judged on the playoffs, so even with the game at New England looming next weekend, we’re a month from knowing how much any of this matters. It could just be two good games in a row.
But in that Chiefs locker room after the game, and undoubtedly at the practice facility this week, it feels like much more.
“I don’t think there’s a team in the league that can beat us with our offense and our defense playing like that,” linebacker Hitchens said. “There should be a lot of games like this.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 9:05 PM.