Greater Tests Remain for Chiefs’ Rejuvenated Defense

Kansas City played well in Week 16, but more important barometers of success are coming.

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has been subject to a great deal of criticism in year four under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and for good reason. After coming up with some big plays and being seemingly ahead of schedule very early in the year, things began to normalize and the unit's deficiencies were subsequently getting exposed over time. For multiple weeks on end, Spagnuolo's group was difficult to watch.

Against the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve, however, Santa Claus brought a competent — or perhaps just flat-out good — defense along with him and dropped it off at Arrowhead Stadium.

The visiting team didn't gain a first down until nearly halfway into the second quarter of the game. In the first half, Seattle failed to reach 100 yards and struggled to move the ball down the field with any sort of consistency. For the game, the Seahawks' Geno Smith-led offense went 2-for-14 on third down and averaged just 4.6 yards per play on the afternoon despite holding the ball for over 35 minutes to Kansas City's 24:58 figure. So, what were the secrets to success for the Chiefs?

Multiple elements contributed to that level of defensive dominance. First and foremost, and this is going to sound very elementary, Spagnuolo came up with a quality game plan and his players simply executed it well. Spagnuolo's decision to let cornerback L'Jarius Sneed follow superstar wide receiver DK Metcalf was rather uncharacteristic, but it worked. In the secondary, Sneed worked in conjunction with the team's rookie cornerback class to make some very impressive run stops. At the safety position, Juan Thornhill logged an interception and Justin Reid was quite active with a season-high eight tackles.

At linebacker, Willie Gay Jr. flew around the field like a heat-seeking missile all game long and made multiple key plays that displayed his aggressive mindset and great athleticism. While Nick Bolton wasn't terrific in coverage, he still managed to get in on the action elsewhere and contributed to a whopping 17 total tackles. Kansas City's starting duo at the second level, for this week, lived up to the hype.

Up front, the duo of George Karlaftis and Frank Clark on the edge was fantastic. Karlaftis recorded a batted pass and also increased his rookie-year sack total to 4.5, and Clark's run defense was spectacular on several occasions. On the interior, Pro Bowler Chris Jones was nothing short of excellent. The star defensive tackle logged a career-high eight pressures (per Next Gen Stats) and is now up to 12 sacks in 2022. 

At its core, this one-week improvement can at least partially be attributed to the players simply playing to the level of expectation. Quietly, however, Spagnuolo's defense has been improving in some underlying areas in recent games. Here's where Kansas City ranks on the year in several statistical defense categories on rbsdm.com: 

• EPA/play: 17th (0.014)
• Success Rate: 12th (43.3%)
• Dropback EPA: 18th (0.060)
• Dropback Success Rate: 10th (44.7%)
• Rush EPA: 16th (-0.075)
• Rush Success Rate: 14th (40.6%)

Now let's take a look at the same metrics since the bye week:

• EPA/play: 13th (-0.018)
• Success Rate: 3rd (40%)
• Dropback EPA: 12th (0.013)
• Dropback Success Rate: 4th (41.5%)
• Rush EPA: 18th (-0.073)
• Rush Success Rate: 8th (37.6%)

That's legitimate, tangible progress. With that said, quality of opponent must be taken into account here. In Week 9, the Chiefs played the Tennessee Titans in just the second start of Malik Willis' career. Later that month, they squared off against the Matthew Stafford-less Los Angeles Rams in the very first career start for Bryce Perkins. They also allowed 28 points to the anemic Denver Broncos in Week 14 and 24 to the suddenly competitive Houston Texans in the following game. This comparison requires context.

On the other hand, some things can be improved regardless of who's lining up on the opposite side of the field. Things the Chiefs did against the Seahawks — take better pursuit angles, wrap up and tackle more effectively, handle physicality in coverage, limit mental lapses in focus — are elements of that aforementioned competent defense. No one is going to argue that Spagnuolo's unit is this good after one great game against a struggling Seattle team without Tyler Lockett, but this progress shouldn't be ignored.

A significant takeaway from Saturday's game is that the Chiefs' defense did display some measure of growth in Week 16. Another important thing to keep in mind, though, is that upcoming outings against the Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders won't necessarily prove that things are "fixed," either. This same Spagnuolo-coached unit will have to face playoff-caliber opponents in just a matter of weeks. Is this rejuvenated Chiefs defense legit? Those games will be the ultimate tests.

Read More: Chiefs Are Far From Complacent After Christmas Eve Win