Kansas City Chiefs
LB/S Daniel Sorensen
The Chiefs’ defense is the undertold story leading up to Super Bowl LIV. Giving up considerable leads in the divisional round against the Texans and in the conference championship against the Titans didn’t help the respect level for that unit, but in the second half of the season, the defense led by Steve Spagnuolo has engineered a fairly remarkable turnaround.
From Weeks 10-17, the Chiefs were tied with the Ravens for the fewest passing touchdowns allowed with seven, and picked off 10 passes — tied with the Falcons, Browns, Colts, Saints, and Dolphins for the most in that span. They also had seven dropped picks in the second half of the season. Only the Steelers, Packers, and Ravens allowed a lower completion percentage than Kansas City’s 57.36%.
The Chiefs allowed 6.22 yards per attempt in that span — only the Ravens, 49ers, and Steelers were better, and only the Steelers allowed a lower QBR than Kansas City’s 68.72.
Moreover, the Chiefs have done this despite injuries to key players. Losing rookie safety Juan Thornhill in late December to a torn ACL was a major blow, but it allowed linebacker/safety hybrid Daniel Sorensen to sub in everywhere from the box to the deep third at a higher level. In the postseason, Sorensen has played 192 snaps in two games; credible snaps everywhere from the defensive line to single-high safety responsibilities. As he showed in this stop of Titans running back Derrick Henry, Sorensen has no problem attacking for a stop from a deep safety position — something he may be asked to do frequently against San Francisco’s running game.
“Dan is a veteran in this game, man,” linebacker Reggie Ragland said of his teammate. “The way he practices and works every day, you know he’s a vet in the game. so, he just stepped in and did what he’s always done. It’s what he’s done for years.”
Chiefs: Daniel Sorensen | Sammy Watkins | Charvarius Ward
49ers: Deebo Samuel | Fred Warner | Mike Person