‘One of the Best’ Steve Spagnuolo Fueling KC Chiefs’ Defensive Success

Kansas City's defense has been elite this season, with its coordinator being a huge reason why.

Before the 2023-24 regular season started, most would've predicted that if the Kansas City Chiefs reached the AFC Championship Game, it'd be after a campaign filled with success on the offensive side of the ball.

In a plot twist, it was Steve Spagnuolo's defense that showed up time and time again during the 17-game regular season and into the playoffs.

Entering postseason play, Kansas City ranked among the top five defenses in all of football in a variety of statistics. Points (second), yards (second), dropback success rate (second), dropback EPA (third), points per drive (third), first downs (third) and overall success rate (fourth) all made up the list. In multiple key wins, it was the defensive side of the ball that slammed the door shut and built a reputation as an elite unit.

Now two weeks into the playoffs, all the defense has done is stop the Miami Dolphins and overcome a rough first half to eventually slow down the Buffalo Bills. Prior to the AFC Championship Game, head coach Andy Reid praised Spagnuolo and his staff for the work they've done this season. 

“He’s done a great job, a great job," Reid said. "Not that he hasn’t in the past, we just had some young players. The teaching part of it, whether it was (defensive backs coach) Dave (Merritt) working with the secondary, (safeties coach) Donald (D'Alesio) – they’ve got that crew, a young group [who] made some mistakes last year, they’ve got them playing good football, accurate football. Brendan (Daly) with the linebackers doing a nice job there, guys flying around making plays. Then you look at (defensive line coach) Joe (Cullen) and how he’s fit people in there and kept a nice rotation going with the guys, he’s done a nice job, too. Spags is the general of that group, he designs all the stuff that we throw at offenses, and he’s got a great variety of pitches.”

There are some holes to poke in Kansas City's defense, sure. It ranked 28th in rush EPA per play allowed and 15th in rush success rate during the regular season. Its playoff metrics aren't as kind as the ones from months prior. That's expected, though, and a team would rather have its weakness be stopping the run in the modern NFL than anything else. With that said, the Baltimore Ravens will be a serious challenge this weekend. 

Luckily for the Chiefs, Spagnuolo is one of the most creative and innovative defensive coordinators in the sport. Linebacker Nick Bolton said this week that Spagnuolo is "not afraid of change," which is obvious in how he handles planning for and adjusting to games. With a great combination of experience, athleticism and aggressive mentality in his personnel, Spagnuolo can unleash a variety of coverages. He can also change the picture for the offense or even go to one of his evil excellent blitz packages that likely keep the opposition up at night.

Don't just take Reid or Bolton's word for it. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes views Spagnuolo as one of the best ever, not just a top coordinator right now. 

“He’s done a great job his entire time here," Mahomes said. "He’s really done a great job everywhere he’s been. He always coaches the defense up, and he gets guys going in the right direction. He has a track record as one of the best defensive coordinators of all time with the Super Bowls he’s won in that defensive coordinator spot. This year I think has really magnified it with how they’ve really carried us to get to this point and done a great job of being able to make in-game adjustments. That’s a huge thing and he's really good at making those adjustments, coming out and finishing the game the right way. I said it in training camp, and I’ve said it all year long, I’m glad I don’t have to go up against those guys.”

This year's Spagnuolo defense is without a doubt his best since he came to Kansas City a half-decade ago. He has a full complement of staff and talent to run just about everything he wants. Dating back to OTAs and training camp, the coaches were brutally honest about this system asking more of its players than any other one in the league. In turn, the players responded and passed every test along the way.

There's one final boss level to beat before the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson, the likely NFL MVP, has elevated his play under offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Baltimore has a variety of weapons at its disposal in the passing game and is the best rushing team in football. A vintage Spagnuolo effort will be needed in order to win the conference title game. Kansas City has demanded plenty from him already this year. 

The defense hasn't failed yet, so why would it start now? That's the confidence the Chiefs must enter the weekend with.

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