Tag: qb pressures

Chiefs led NFL in unblocked QB pressures during 2023 regular season

The #Chiefs led the NFL in unblocked pressures during the 2023 regular season.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive turnaround in 2023 was as impressive as it was surprising to many fans who grew accustomed to the team’s offense-first approach in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo managed to change the narrative around his unit this season, and the Chiefs’ ferocious pass rush played an integral role in making Kansas City’s defense a menacing force in the AFC.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats Twitter page, Spagnuolo’s innovative schemes in 2023 generated the most unblocked quarterback pressures in the league.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots came close to matching Kansas City’s 73 unblocked pressures, the Chiefs stood atop the NFL’s leaderboard in the category at season’s end.

Hassling opposing quarterbacks always serves to bolster a defense’s firepower in key moments, and Spagnuolo should be expected to continue leveraging his ability to get blitzers clear lanes to the backfield against the Buffalo Bills this weekend.

Trent McDuffie led all cornerbacks in QB pressures during 2023 regular season

#Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie tallied the most QB pressures of anyone at his position during the 2023 regular season.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense turned a corner in 2023, and cornerback Trent McDuffie played a huge part in the unit’s resurgence. The second-year defender was a nightmare for opposing receivers in coverage, but another aspect of his game helped lead Kansas City’s identity change in a more subtle way.

According to the Chiefs’ official Twitter account, McDuffie led all cornerbacks in the NFL in quarterback pressures during the regular season.

While most defensive backs don’t make their money as blitzes, McDuffie broke the mold in Kansas City’s 11-win campaign, tallying three sacks in addition to his many pressures.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo made an effort to get creative this season, and McDuffie’s involvement in the pass rush paid dividends for a unit that desperately needed to be revitalized.

Fans should expect McDuffie’s prowess as a blitzer to be leveraged in the Chiefs’ game plan for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

This Chiefs lineman ranks seventh in QB pressures among all NFL defenders, according to PFF

Check out which Chiefs lineman has the seventh most QB pressures in the NFL through Week 9:

The Kansas City Chiefs pass rush has been one of the team’s best assets through nine weeks of the 2023 season, and one of its most effective players has been second-year defensive lineman George Karlaftis.

A Purdue product, Karlaftis’ penchant for harassing quarterbacks warranted his selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but nobody could have predicted his meteoric rise to become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL this year.

According to Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis ranks seventh among all defenders in the league with 47 pressures on the season.

This remarkable number contextualizes just how impressive the former Boilermaker has been through nine games, and is a good indication that Kansas City has a star on its hands up front.

With help from fellow linemen Chris Jones and Charles Omenihu, Karlaftis should be able to continue his mean streak to become a cornerstone of the Chiefs’ future.

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