Tag: Chiefs defense

Chiefs Dave Merritt discusses the challenges of the Eagles offense: ‘A tough task’

Kansas City #Chiefs Dave Merritt discusses the challenges of the Eagles offense: ‘A tough task’ | @EdEastonJr

During Super Bowl LIX Opening Night, Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt spoke to Sports Radio 810 about the challenges facing the Philadelphia Eagles offense on Sunday.

“To be honest with you, this is probably going to be the best team we’ve faced all year. Their offensive line is the best we’ve seen. The running back, of course, is the best that we’ve seen. And then the quarterback.” said Merritt. “If you go back three years ago or two years ago, whenever it was that quarterback lit us up on the back end, he played a heck of a game. I mean, he didn’t make a mistake, and that is sitting right there in the back of our minds.”

Hurts was Philadelphia’s biggest offensive weapon during the team’s matchup in the Super Bowl two years ago. He finished the game with a passer rating of 103.4 and 304 yards, carrying the ball 15 times for 70 yards, a Super Bowl record for a quarterback, and three touchdowns.

“Jalen Hurts. He took it to us, and so the guys are very motivated right now to stop the run,” said Merritt. “First, and then we’re motivated to go out there and shut down the passing game, and so it’s going to be a tough task for the best all year.”

The defense will be challenged to stop Saquon Barkley, who led the league in rushing and is the key to opening things up down the field for Hurts in the passing game.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones discusses a veteran lineman’s importance on defense: ‘Vital part of us’

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones discusses Charles Omenihu’s importance on defense: ‘Vital part of us’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs defense impacted the divisional round victory over the Buffalo Bills last Saturday with eight sacks. During his press conference on Thursday, one of the sacks came from All-Pro Chris Jones, who pointed out the essential play of his veteran teammate Charles Omenihu.

“Charles has been a vital part of us, especially in the pass rush; I think that’s what we brought him here for. He’s been able to broadcast that on a later stage, getting his groove,” said Jones. “He missed a lot of games this year due to injury, and last year he ended up missing four-six games. So, being able to have Charles at his peak during this time of the year is vital for us. I think we can stride off that and play really good football in the postseason.”

In the second quarter of the divisional round win, Omenihu sacked C.J. Stroud for a three-yard loss and forced a fumble that the Texans recovered. The play marked Omenihu’s first sack this postseason, bringing his postseason career total to 5.5 sacks. He finished the game with four tackles (three solo), including one tackle for loss, one sack, a forced fumble, and one quarterback pressure.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton on goals for OTAs: ‘We’re all trying to get better every single day’

#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton told reporters about what the team’s defense is trying to accomplish at OTAs.

Nick Bolton is one of the cornerstones of the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense, and has settled into his role as a leader after winning two consecutive Super Bowl titles.

During comments to the media this week, the former Mizzou linebacker told reporters that he feels that the continuity on the defensive side of Kansas City’s roster should be a boon for the team next season.

“Since being here, guys have been in the same system, kind of growing together. We’re learning the ins and outs of the scheme together at the same time, so we understand the communication part and weaknesses of the coverage — I think that’s a big thing for us,” Bolton said. “We have a lot of young guys like Chamarri Conner coming back. We’ve got veterans as well. It’s a group effort, and we’re all trying to get better every single day.”

Last season, the Chiefs leaned on their defense to keep them in games, especially in the playoffs. With many of the same players expected to suit up for Kansas City in 2024, hopes are high that the team can replicate its outstanding 2023 campaign to secure a third-consecutive Super Bowl title.

NFL Playoffs: The Chiefs can’t stop Joe Burrow, but here’s how they can contain him

Joe Burrow is playing quarterback at a thermonuclear level right now. Here’s how the Chiefs can at least slow him down.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense were able to do something in the playoffs that the Los Angeles Chargers couldn’t, and that was to mitigate the Jacksonville Jaguars’ passing offense by pressuring the quarterback.

Trevor Lawrence only completed 61.5% of his passes for 217 yards in the divisional round, finishing with a 74.4 quarterback rating. In the wild-card matchup against the Chargers in that historic comeback win, Lawrence threw 6.1 yards per attempt, and against the Chiefs, that number dropped to 5.6 yards per attempt.

The Chiefs’ defense wanted to bring the pressure, so they brought a blitz on 22% of the dropbacks, and hit the quarterback seven times. Kansas City’s defense grabbed one interception, sacked Lawrence twice, and only allowed him to throw one touchdown.

It seemed like the Chiefs’ defenders were everywhere all at once, and that is exactly what head coach Andy Reid thought after the game:

“I thought from the defensive backs to the defensive line to the linebackers, I thought everyone was flying around making plays. Again my hat goes off to the guys, they were incredible on third downs and second downs they just played a great game all the way around. “

The question now is if the Chiefs’ pass rush can get to Joe Burrow in order to slow down the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense in the upcoming AFC Championship game. Burrow is playing at a ridiculous level right now, so that’ll be Job One if the Chiefs want to vault the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

What rookie CB Trent McDuffie brings to the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to CB Trent McDuffie’s film to see what he brings to the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense

When the Kansas City Chiefs watched the bottom half of the first round in the 2022 NFL draft go down, they knew they might have to move up to get the guy they wanted. So, they traded up with the New England Patriots for the 21st overall pick, and took Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie to help redefine their defense.

“He moves around well,” head coach Andy Reid said of McDuffie after the pick happened. “Good hips. Good hands. I like the part about being smart when you’re playing that position. Leverages become important. How you do those. Size, different-sized players… we have some big receivers that we go against. How are you going to take care of that?”

Outside of Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley, McDuffie is one of the top cornerback prospects now in the NFL. It would be a three-way tie between these top selections if it wasn’t for McDuffie’s length. He’s only 5-foot-11 and his arms are in the bottom 7th percentile among all cornerbacks (29.75 inches). Due to this lack of size, there is a good chance that the Chiefs may start him out at the nickel corner position to see how adjusts to the NFL.

Let’s go to the film and examine how his skillsets can contribute to the Chiefs defense.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert looking to continue to shine bright under primetime lights

Chargers QB Justin Herbert was born for prime time.

Quarterback Justin Herbert has solidified himself as a legitimate MVP candidate in his sophomore season.

Herbert currently ranks fourth in the NFL with 294 passing yards per game, third with 30 passing touchdowns, first with a quarterback rating of 67.35, and tied for first with five game-winning drives.

When the Chargers meet the Chiefs on Thursday night, he will have a great opportunity to further make his case, as Herbert has proven to shine bright under the primetime lights.

In Herbert’s four career games in primetime, he is 97-of-145 passing for 1,182 yards, 12 touchdowns, one interception, and a rushing touchdown.

The last time Herbert faced Kansas City came back in Week 3, where he put together an impressive performance – finishing with four touchdowns.

However, since then, the Chiefs’ defense has done a complete 360.

Amid their six-game win streak, Kansas City has allowed just 9.6 points per game, which ranks second in the NFL. In addition, the unit has been stingy, posting 15 takeaways in their last five outings.

Herbert should benefit from the return of Keenan Allen, who missed last weekend’s win over the Giants. However, he will be without his blindside blocker, Rashawn Slater, who was ruled out with COVID-19.

If we know one thing about Herbert, it’s that pressure rarely phases him. But against a team like the Chiefs, who are one of the best at getting to opposing quarterbacks, Joe Lombardi will need to draw up a solid game plan.

While not an ideal scenario, the Chargers can mask his absence and make life easier for Slater’s fill-in, Trey Pipkins, with extra blockers, moving the pocket, and simplified half-field reads.

A win led by Herbert not only allows the Chargers to control their destiny en route to the first AFC West title since 2009 but increases the chances of him being recognized as the league’s most valuable player.

Chargers’ causes for concern vs. Chiefs

A look at some causes for concern as the Los Angeles Chargers gear up to face the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chargers are hosting the Chiefs in the most crucial game remaining on their schedule on Thursday night, as both teams are neck and neck in the race to be crowned AFC West champions.

Los Angeles should be feeling optimistic, but there are also reasons why they should be feeling wary heading into the Week 15 bout.

 

How the Chiefs’ defense went from Legion of Whom? to Legion of Boom! overnight

The Chiefs went from having one of the NFL’s worst defenses to one of the NFL’s best literally overnight. How on earth did this happen?

Before 2021, the last team to hold its opponents to less than 10 points per game in four of five games was the 2014 Seahawks, in their third of four years leading the NFL in scoring defense — something no other team has done in the Super Bowl era.

Last Sunday, after holding the Raiders in a vise in a 48-9 beatdown, the 2021 Chiefs became the first team to accomplish that four-in-five stretch since the Legion of Boom pulled it off. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense held the Packers to seven points in Week 9, the Raiders to 14 points in Week 10, the Cowboys to nine points in Week 11, the Broncos to nine points in Week 13, and the Raiders to nine points in Week 14. Outside of the Broncos, that’s a bunch of generally high-powered offenses that turn very normal when they meet this defense.

Interestingly enough, the Chiefs’ defense bottomed out in the second half of the 2020 season, dropping from 14th to 29th in Defensive DVOA, and the uptick wasn’t nearly as significant in 2019, the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, when the defense moved from 16th to 11th. This season? The Chiefs ranked 28th in Defensive DVOA in Weeks 1-9, and only the Patriots have a better Defensive DVOA since Week 10. They’re third in Defensive DVOA behind the Patriots and Cowboys since Week 6, so this isn’t an in-season blip that can be ignored.

This is a new level of greatness for a defense that has been able to take risks because the Chiefs’ offense was so explosive. Which makes this turnaround even more impressive, because for the most part, the Chiefs’ offense has been anything but. That offense has seen a nice uptick from 11th to fourth in the second half of the 2021 season, but the second half of the season also includes a two-game stretch against the Cowboys and Broncos in which Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass. If the second half of the season didn’t also include a two-game roll against the Raiders in which Mahomes threw seven touchdown passes and no interceptions, it’s hard to say where the 9-4 Chiefs would be.

(Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)

Where the 9-4 Chiefs are right now is at the top of the AFC West, one game ahead of the Chargers, who they face this Thursday night. The Chargers beat the Chiefs, 30-24, in Week 3, but Justin Herbert and friends will face an entirely different threat this time around. That defense is the key to the team’s six-game winning streak after a 3-4 start, and it’s worth investigating what changed, and why this is no flash in the pan.

The Kansas City Chiefs are now led by their defense, as if 2021 wasn’t already weird enough.

How the heck did this happen?

4-Down Territory: Tackling the NFL’s most pressing topics

In 4-Down Territory, Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling tackle the NFL’s most pressing topics on a weekly basis.

Every week, in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire discuss the NFL’s most pressing topics. On this week’s video, Doug and Luke talk about (and occasionally disagree about) the following:

  1. The list of reasons for the Jaguars to move on from Urban Meyer seems to grow every week. Last week, there was the report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network in which it was revealed that Meyer calls his coaches “losers.” that he lied about the reasons for benching running back James Robinson (probably the team’s best player), and players are apparently close to open revolt. Why is it that college coaches struggle so consistently with the rigors of the NFL?
  2. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy last Saturday, and there’s no doubt he’s had a great season. But should he have taken the trophy home, or was this the year it should have gone to a more deserving defensive player?
  3. Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas is on his sixth NFL team, and he’s never been successful before Green Bay signed him off the Cardinals’ practice squad in October. Douglas recently said that he didn’t learn to watch tape the right way until last season, which is a pretty remarkable thing to admit – and a rather damning indictment of his former coaches. Now, Douglas has pick-sixes in two straight games, the first Packers player since Herb Adderley in 1965 to achieve that. Which other players around the NFL deserve a better opportunity in a new home?
  4. The Chiefs started the season 3-4 with what may have been the NFL’s worst defense. Since then, they’ve rolled up six straight wins, they haven’t allowed more than 17 points in a game, they’ve allowed less than 10 points in four of their last five games, and they absolutely demolished the Raiders, 48-9, last Sunday. How does a team go from having the NFL’s worst defense to perhaps having the NFL’s best defense in such short order?

Watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here!

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Derrick Henry causes Chiefs defenders to make obvious business decisions

The Chiefs’ defense was bad enough before it had to face Derrick Henry, and several business decisions occurred.

In 2019, per Pro Football Focus, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,985 yards, including the postseason. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,605 yards. Nick Chubb of the Browns finished third with 1,494 yards.

In 2020, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 2,067 yards, including the postseason. Dalvin Cook of the Vikings was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,557 yards. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s third-best rusher with 1,525 yards.

Through the first six weeks of the 2021 season, Derrick Henry of the Titans was the NFL’s leading rusher with 783 yards. Derrick Henry after contact was the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 587 yards, and Chubb was the NFL’s third-leading rusher with 523 yards.

You get the idea. It’s not just that Derrick Henry is the NFL’s best back by an absolutely crushing margin; it’s also that Henry after contact outpaced just about every back in the NFL. Henry’s combination of brute force to and through the gaps and second-level speed makes him an impossible player to consistently stop.

The Chiefs and their leaky defenses decided to take things to the next level on Sunday. It’s hard enough to bring Henry down when you’re trying to tackle him; if you’re obviously not… well, you might as well go 7-on-7 in the parking lot and call it a day.

There was this sort of arm tackle from the usually outstanding defensive lineman Chris Jones…

…and what can only be called an intentional miss by cornerback Mike Hughes.

2018 was Bob Sutton’s final season as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. The Chiefs ranked 27th overall in Defensive DVOA, though the team made it all the way to overtime in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots because they could run the ball when they had to, and because Patrick Mahomes became a football-throwing alien in his first NFL season as a starter.

This season, under Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs came into Week 7 ranked 31st in Defensive DVOA. They can’t run the ball at all, Mahomes has been erratic at best, and though we don’t like to question the effort of players (that’s something you don’t want to speculate about, because there isn’t much worse you can say about a player on the field than to wonder if they’re giving their all), but as we also say, the tape does not lie.