For the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl. And this might be their most impressive run yet.
In the AFC playoffs, they bludgeoned the Miami Dolphins at home before hitting the road and taking down the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. It’s easy to get caught up in the lore of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid, Taylor Swift and what the Chiefs are doing on offense, but their defense has been a driving force for KC’s success this season, particularly in the AFC championship game. Yielding 13.7 points per game against the toughest offenses in the league doesn’t happen by accident and they’re uniquely built to turn the heat on in January.
Chiefs coordinator Steve Spagnuolo comfortably has his best defense during his tenure with the team. For the first time since Spagnuolo took over in 2019, the Chiefs have a truly stifling defense. According to RBSDM.com, the Chiefs rank first in expected points allowed (-0.072) over the 2023 postseason, almost matching their figure from the regular season (-0.076). They’ve been great on first and second downs, forcing teams into poor situations that allows Spagnuolo to be creative with his personnel. The Chiefs held the Ravens to 3-of-11 on third down and kept them out of the end zone for the final three quarters of the game.
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During the pregame and postgame, some Chiefs players sported a T-shirt that read “IN SPAGS WE TRUST,” an homage to their defensive leader. The mantra wasn’t lost on the team’s social media account.
On the field, the Chiefs’ defense starts with their defensive line, which has become one of the most talented units in the league. Chris Jones is a force who’s capable of detonating offensive lines whenever he feels like. George Karlaftis has really come into his own as a second-year defensive end and the rest of the group has their strengths as well. Losing stud lineman Charles…
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Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-30 03:58:57
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