The KC Chiefs defense is even more dominant (and important) than you think

The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the most dominant and physical defenses in the entire NFL. Because of how the team fared last year, many of these elements were cemented throughout most of the 2023 campaign. However, there is one thing that the Chiefs defense does consistently well every week, and the results can be found in Kansas City’s defense.

In the team’s early years under Andy Reid, the Chiefs defense was a unit where teams celebrated when they leaned on the ground game. That was still the case during the earliest season after Patrick Mahomes’ arrival. However, with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on the sidelines, KC is finally as complete as ever as a run defense.

The run-stuffing under Spagnuolo tended to be more evident in the second half of the season and in the play-offs. But for the entire 2024 season so far, the Chiefs are stopping the opposing rushing attack. And their run defense stands out in more ways than you might realize.

If you’re a fantasy football player with running backs preparing to play the Chiefs, you might as well leave him on the bench. Not many running backs have even posted impressive yards-per-carry results against Kansas City.

In terms of pure rushing yards, the most the Chiefs defense has allowed to a running back in one game is 58 (Jordan Mason in Week 7). Going into that game against San Francisco, no running back with at least 11 carries in a game against Kansas City had even reached 50 rushing yards. That includes a list of supreme talents like Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, JK Dobbins and Alvin Kamara.

To put even more of an exclamation point on opposing runners, all four of these names are currently in the top 12 in rushing yards. Three of those four rank in the top 10. In fact, Henry currently leads the league in rushing with a total of 946 yards. Henry and Dobbins each had their lowest rushing results against Kansas City. Both Robinson and Kamara had their second-lowest rushing results of the season against the Chiefs.

Last week, the Chiefs defense allowed just 33 rushing yards on 21 carries to the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s good enough for a pathetic 1.6 yards per carry. Alexander Mattison somehow finished with just 15 yards on 14 carries. Five other Raiders who had at least one carry combined for just 18 yards on 7 carries. It’s honestly hard to decipher which of these two points is more impressive.

The Chiefs defense has become exactly what Spagnuolo hoped it would have. They are able to meet runners at or behind the line of scrimmage to slow down the run. Kansas City can confuse offenses with their various disguises and defensive looks. The pass rush is completely versatile, a point that could be further emphasized with the trade acquisition of Josh Uche. And best of all, their great run defense has forced teams to become one-dimensional. This allows the Chiefs defense to instill real fear in opponents.

This unit is built the way Spagnuolo envisioned it when the team rebuilt its defense a few years ago. All of the Chiefs defenders are instinctive, and they won’t often be physically overpowered. All told, these elements didn’t exist as much on the defensive end when Spags first came to Kansas City. To get that out of a defense that is still largely young is an added bonus.

All of these aspects came to the fore during this incredible start from the Chiefs defense. The instincts come to the fore as players like Drue Tranquill, Leo Chenal and Nick Bolton seemingly beat the attack before it fully opens up. The Chiefs also have a physical advantage over the entire front seven, which is contagious to the entire depth chart between the first two levels of the defense. When you get a chance to run something, there’s so much collateral damage that these front sevens cause by doing the dirty work.

The trends of the NFL cycle through time and generations. It seems that in 2024 we will witness a change in offensive attacks. For the first time in a long time, squads feel more comfortable being balanced and leaning on the ground game. This has been the identity of teams like the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles for a few years now. They have made it clear that they will bring it to you on the spot again and again. For others, having a solid running game is viewed more positively this year.

A lot of this is due to the way defenses are playing now. The nature of two-high grenades deprives explosive passing opportunities on the field. Many defensive units also want more speed than size on the field, which leads to lighter boxes in certain situations. Additionally, many NFL defenses simply see a higher number of runs on first or second down as offenses look to stay ahead of the sticks and stay on schedule.

Having a stout defense generally makes a bigger difference in the colder months of the regular season and in the playoffs. But for this particular campaign, the use of running backs and the ground game is making a bit of a resurgence. Being able to lean on a defense that can slow down that area of ​​the opponent’s attack is critical to winning games in this current part of the season. That’s especially true when most NFL games are decided by one score.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, add their run-stuffing ability to the list of things that set them apart from the pack.