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A resounding 42-30 win in Week 4 for the Kansas City Chiefs has the team back to .500 after early-season struggles on both sides of the ball. Excepting one interception, MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ performance against the Eagles was flawless. In spite of some issues that will need to be addressed in the coming months, the defense played admirably compared to recent showings.
In need of a momentum-building win after dropping back-to-back games in weeks two and three, Kansas City took care of business to get Andy Reid his 100th win as head coach of the Chiefs. With so much on the line this season, and aspirations for another Super Bowl berth, the team couldn’t afford to let their slide continue, officially getting themselves back on track to compete for a top seed in the AFC playoffs.
Second-year defensive end Mike Danna played a big part in the win, and he spoke to reporters after the game about the state of the defense. Danna had two sacks in the matchup, the best performance of any Chiefs edge rusher in a single game this season. He explained to the media that the unit is working in concert, still chasing any edge that might help the team win.
“You just keep stacking them,” He said about the win after a few tough weeks. “[This] defense, we’re a family, we’re a unit, we stick together. This was a big win for us, we just have to keep stacking the days and get the ball rolling.”
A primary factor in the two losses was an inability to do basic things right defensively to give the Chiefs any chance at putting up a fight against some of the NFL’s best offenses. Lining up correctly, knowing assignments, and consistent communication pre-play were all issues against Baltimore and Los Angeles. Asked about where the defense stood after the win, Danna seemed pleased with the performance but made it clear that the climb to their full potential was far from over.
“We got better, but there is always room for improvement,” Danna said. “We’re going to keep on hitting the nail on the head and getting our communication down until we’ve got it down perfect. [We’ll] keep working at it and improving it.”
With their work far from over and 13 games left to play this season, Kansas City is right in the mix, even if after two surprising losses. If they can come away with more wins against Buffalo, Washington, and Tennessee in the coming weeks, early concerns could give way to familiar confidence in a Chiefs team that has accomplished so much in recent years.
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