Usually when your defense comes away with four turnovers and a score, you feel pretty good. When you do that against Trevor Siemien, you wonder if they could have done more. The Kansas City Chiefs defense has taken a major step back this year. They’re ranked 30th in yards allowed and 19th in points allowed. K.C. is still winning games on the strength of a, usually, elite offense, but for fans who want to see progress, wins aren’t enough. The Chiefs need to show that they can move further in the playoffs, and if they’re going to, issues with both the offense and the defense will need to be addressed.
It’s Time To Admit Derrick Johnson Is A Problem
Chiefs run D has never been spectacular. It’s also never been quite this bad. In looking for the source of the problem, it’s becoming more and more apparent that it‘s Derrick Johnson. The loss of Eric Berry certainly hasn’t helped, but he was usually playing FS anyway, while Sorenson played in the box. Johnson still sees the plays, but he seems to lack the speed and agility to make them. Way too often he’s getting stuck on blocks instead of knifing around to make the tackle.
There’s really only two ways to solve this problem, but neither is easy. First, you can hope that his agility comes back. Achilles injuries take time to heal, and we’ve had concerns about DJ before that he came back from. This is the approach Chiefs seem to be using so far, without great results, but only time will tell if he can get better. Second, you can bite the bullet and start Ramik Wilson or KPL in DJ’s spot. The problem with that, is that DJ isn’t going to play STs, so if you replace him as a starter, you have to put him on the inactive list. That’s a tough thing to do to a guy with DJ’s history with the team, but I believe it’s the right thing to do. Chiefs can frame it as getting DJ rested up for the playoffs, to improve the optics, but the fact remains, Chiefs need to get younger and faster in the run defense.
Chiefs Aren’t Generating Much Pass Rush
Justin Houston is still good, but he can’t do everything himself. Fans tend to measure talent by sacks, but forget that really good pass rushers tend to get 10-12 sacks a year. That’s less than one per game. Houston is currently on pace for 15 sacks. Dee Ford continues to struggle with injuries, and Zombo, while decent against the run, doesn’t offer much in the way of pass rush. The DL has some talent, but, since Chiefs ILBs can’t be trusted in the run game, guys like Chris Jones and Allen Bailley can’t rush up field with reckless abandon, for fear of allowing a big rush behind them.
Solving the lack of pass rush will not be an easy fix, because it has multiple sources. The DEs have to trust the ILBs to make plays, so you have to fix that. The OLBs need 3-4 seconds to reach the QB. If the CBs can’t cover that long, it doesn’t matter who you have on the edge. Houston might as well be Zombo if the ball is out in 2.6 seconds. To fix the pass rush, Chiefs have to fix their issues at RCB. Peters is good, Nelson is good, but they don’t have any other CBs that you can trust to cover consistently. Most people will look to Hali, Kpassagnon or Nicolas for help with the pass rush, but I really think the lack of pass rush is just a symptom of Chiefs issues in the secondary and at ILB.
Andy Reid Closes The Playbook Too Early
Any fan who watched the Denver game witnessed a great example of something we’ve always known. Reid saves the best plays for when he needs them. Chiefs moved the ball really well, early on (aside from that horrific play call with Hill). Once Chiefs seemed to have the game in hand, play-calling got a lot more spotty. Chiefs went from dominating on offense to being consistently poor. This continued until Denver started to climb their way back into the game, when Reid’s play-calling improved drastically. I understand wanting to save some stuff, it’s a long season, but you can’t shut down the offense that early against a division opponent in a game you have to win. Chiefs made that mistake against the Raiders and it cost them. The solution to this isn’t a paragraph, it’s a sentence: Stop it Andy!
Someone Should Consider Complacency
Peters is content to sit back and watch while other people tackle. Reid is content to let the offense sputter with the lead in hand. Sutton is content to let the other team dictate WR/TE match-ups with the secondary. Chiefs have a lot of confidence in their schemes, too much. Fundamentals have grown lax and effort often appears to be lacking.
Complacency is a coaching problem. You have to take a serious look at your position coaches and see who needs to go. Al Harris has a pretty good track record, so I’m willing to give him a pass. Several other guys need to shape up or ship out. Tom Melvin is the TE coach. Kelce is great. Harris and Travis don’t look like they’ve improved much, if at all, from last year. Chiefs LB coach Gary Gibbs, and his assistant Mark DeLeone have been given a number of picks at ILB and haven’t done much with any of them. Maybe Dorsey wasn’t good at drafting ILB, but it’s a little surprising that Chiefs have had so much trouble finding competent bodies at ILB while teams like Denver seem to find better options, despite investing less at the position.
It’s not time to panic about anything yet. Chiefs are a really good team, with a few major flaws. This team can absolutely win a championship. If they don’t fix their flaws, they could absolutely lose their first playoff game. The schedule gets easier from here on out. Chiefs need to use this to their advantage. Build early leads and get some of your depth guys enough reps that they’ll be ready to start come playoff time. The division is pretty well in hand, fans should enjoy the ride, but keep an eye on these fatal flaws and how Chiefs address them in the coming days.
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