The Kansas City Chiefs own the NFL’s worst run defense. Here are two potential fixes
We start this column with good news: I’ve watched every snap the Chiefs’ defense has played against the run so far this season, and I did it twice, for one reason.
So you don’t have to.
The quick summary, in case you’re busy: bad. Very bad.
Opponents are averaging 6 yards per attempt, and I don’t want to alarm you, but through three games the Kansas Jayhawks’ defense was giving up “just” 5.4 per attempt.
The problems are a wicked mix of not getting enough push at the line of scrimmage … and not setting the edge to contain outside runs … and losing assignment discipline on options and zone reads … and also missing lots and lots and lots of tackles.
So, that’s a lot of problems.
The hard truth is that the Chiefs as currently constructed are unlikely to be good against the run, ever. This is not a knock on the players, but a statement about the team’s broader philosophy in roster-building. The Chiefs have not had a top-half run defense (measured by yards/attempt) since 2015 — safety Daniel Sorensen is the only defender still around from that team, and he played just 21% of the snaps.
The Chiefs have prioritized their pass rush, which is in line with how important the passing game is in today’s NFL. But if the Browns and Ravens are among the AFC’s top contenders — and they are — this is a real thing, and the Chiefs must address it.
Let’s be clear: The standard is not perfection, or dominance, or even excellence. If we’re honest, mediocrity is probably enough. NFL games can be won while giving up rushing yards. We’ve seen that. A playoff rematch against the Browns or Ravens could be different.
The Chiefs can address this problem in many ways. We will present two here: one simple, and the other strategic.
First, the simple. The Chiefs have so far been atrocious at the stuff high school coaches scream about. They are not setting the edge. They are not shedding blocks. And the most infuriating part might be their problems tackling.
The Chiefs have missed 21 tackles in two games, per Pro Football Focus. That is unacceptable. Sorensen is the primary nuisance here, missing nine, which is three more than any other Chiefs defender through two games. A year ago, Sorensen had 17 missed tackles, tied for second-most.
Much will be made about the difficulty of addressing fundamentals like this in practice. Teams can only hold 16 padded practices in an 18-week season. That’s not much live-action edge-setting, for instance. Tackling sleds can only help so much.
Counterpoint: These are highly trained professionals who’ve been playing football since they were kids. They know how to tackle. They know how to shed. They know their assignments and how to set an edge.
They just have to do it.
In their playoff game last season, the Chiefs held the Browns to 112 yards on 22 carries. That’s … fine. On their last two drives, the Browns ran 10 times for 37 yards. The Chiefs will win a lot of games like that.
That takes penetration, effort, containment and athleticism. The Chiefs had it last January. They have it now. They need to find that rhythm again and walk that delicate balance.
Now, the strategy.
Jones has never been a stout run defender, he is not particularly athletic in space compared to most defensive ends, and he is short on experience at that position. The Ravens took full advantage of this, and the NFL is the ultimate copycat league, which means Jones has two choices: He can improve those deficiencies, or he can continue to rotate and go back to playing inside more.
When and if the Chiefs see the Browns or Ravens again, Willie Gay Jr. will presumably be healthy. He is a second-year linebacker who’s currently on injured reserve. He played in just 25% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps last season, so let’s all keep this in context, but if he’s healthy he would make a tremendous difference in these matchups.
He has elite athleticism and is the Chiefs’ best linebacker at setting the edge. He was also the Chiefs’ best defender throughout training camp and the preseason, after Chris Jones. There isn’t a lot of tape, and we all know preseason games can be misleading, but watch how he diagnoses and follows this run by Dalvin Cook:
And this one is against the pass, not the run, but it’s also fun:
Gay ran a 4.46 at the combine. That’s not going to beat Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in a race, but it could be enough for him to cut angles and be an effective spy on Jackson in a rematch.
The Chiefs didn’t have that option last weekend at Baltimore. But Gay could end up being a central part of a completely different game plan.
Which is good, because if the Chiefs see the Browns or especially the Ravens in the playoffs, they’ll want a completely different game plan.