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When the Kansas City Chiefs resolved to reload their defense after a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LV, the primary focus of the overhaul was an improvement in red-zone situations. They added talent on the defensive line, switched Chris Jones from defensive tackle to the end position and drafted Nick Bolton in hopes of becoming more competitive in crucial situations.
To this point, it hasn’t worked.
Opponents are a perfect eight-for-eight against the Chiefs defense near the goal line, which is good for dead last in the league in red-zone defense. Whether it’s an inability to generate push upfront at the snap, or bad coverage in their secondary when plays break down, Kansas City still has a big problem keeping opponents from scoring in crucial situations.
“Spags [Steve Spagnuolo] spent a lot of time in the offseason with that,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters on Monday. “We worked it a ton in camp, and we haven’t had the results here. We’ll keep pounding that out until we get it right. It’s one of those things, everything gets magnified when you’re in the red zone, whether it’s good or bad. Even if you’re not tackling in the field, and it doesn’t happen in the red zone, you’re not giving up blocks up the field, then it’s going to get magnified in the red zone. Everything’s a little bit faster and all your strengths and weaknesses get magnified. So, you’ve got to make sure that you kind of get these fundamentals down and take care of it.”
It isn’t time to pull the fire alarm just yet, though. Spagnuolo’s defenses are known for their steady climbs over the course of a season, usually managing to gel best in time for the playoffs.
When Spagnuolo was hired to replace Bob Sutton, fans were ready for the return of the Chiefs’ signature bend-don’t-break defense that characterized the team’s identity in the aughts and early 2010s. That identity hasn’t come to fruition yet this year, but there is still plenty of time for Kansas City to regroup defensively and make major strides against the meat of their 17-game schedule.
Willie Gay Jr. remains on injured reserve, and third-year safety Juan Thornhill is still making his way back to 100-percent after a gruesome knee injury derailed progress made early in his career. Meanwhile, Chiefs’ fourth-year linebacker Ben Niemann has been thrust into a bigger role than might otherwise be necessary, and veteran safety Daniel Sorenson leads the league in missed tackles.
The team’s struggles are by no means a function of one or two players, but getting back to full strength should help them overcome the major obstacles they face on defense. With the return of Gay and hopefully a midseason emergence of Thornhill, the Chiefs’ defense could turn around and become a force to be reckoned with come January, just in time for playoff football.
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