Insta-reaction: Chiefs 31, Chargers 21: Chiefs win, Pats lose, Chiefs are the 2 seed
In the span of about two minutes in real time Sunday, the Chiefs went from being in danger of dropping to the AFC’s No. 4 seed to rising to No. 2, thanks to a short touchdown run through non-tacklers and then a late go-ahead touchdown by the Dolphins against the Patriots.
The change is substantial, and not just because it means the Chiefs are off next weekend, and not just because it means their next game will be in the divisional round at home instead of at New England.
The Chiefs have been injured and were again in a 31-21 win over the Chargers in the regular-season finale at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs won, but then, did they really?
The big blow was standout rookie Juan Thornhill tearing his ACL. Thornhill’s absence changes their defense significantly for the playoffs.
He and free agent signing Tyrann Mathieu had turned one of the league’s worst position groups into perhaps this defense’s greatest strength. Thornhill improved consistently, adding a growing understanding and ball skills to his natural gifts of range and tackling.
He and Mathieu had an obvious understanding about where each would likely be at a given moment, which not only allowed more confidence and speed between them but filled many of the holes we saw on big plays allowed last season.
All of that changes now.
It doesn’t have to be a fatal flaw.
But it does have to be something the Chiefs adjust to.
On Sunday, it appeared that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo went with a traditional Next Man Up™ approach, dropping Armani Watts into Thornhill’s center field role.
Notably, that kept Kendall Fuller in the slot. Fuller had been playing more snaps at safety — according to Pro Football Focus’ charting, Fuller played more safety than corner in each of the previous two games.
It’s worth noting that most of Fuller’s time at safety was in the box, but it would figure he could play more free safety in Thornhill’s absence, too. It will be interesting to see which approach Spagnuolo takes in the postseason: the one that seemed to be more of the game plan the last two weeks, or the plug-and-play option with Watts.
Maybe this is all a little too in-the-weeds. The most important thing for the Chiefs will always be Patrick Mahomes and the offense (and concerns exist there, too). But the offense will need help, and we saw at least one obvious glimpse of what the Chiefs will have to compensate for.
On third-and-9 in the third quarter, Philip Rivers threw a long pass over the middle to Hunter Henry. The catch was completed despite four Chiefs defenders being close, including Watts. These hypotheticals are impossible to prove one way or the other, but Thornhill stopped many plays like that.
At one point in the fourth quarter, Mathieu motioned toward the Chiefs’ coaches for a substitute and walked toward the sideline. There appeared to be confusion as to who should come in, and after a short delay, Mathieu went back to his position. The Chargers scored a touchdown on the next snap.
The Chiefs enter the playoffs as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and with the Patriots’ apparent fade likely the most serious challenger to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC.
Thornhill’s injury does not change any of that. But it does change how the Chiefs must approach the challenge.
This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 3:12 PM.