Chiefs: Blitzing in the 2023 Season

Laddie Morse

Blitzing is a strategy used by defenses to help disrupt an offense’s passing game. Knowing when the opposition will pass the ball is necessary in predicting when a defensive coordinator will call a blitz play, but one way or the other, all DC’s call a blitz at one time or another… when the situation calls for it. From TruMedia:

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“Last season [in the NFL], defenses blitzed just 25.3% of the

time, the lowest rate over a full season since at least 2013.”

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It’s important to understand when a defense is blitzing and when they are not. Viqtorysports.com comes this definition of “blitz:”

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“A blitz is when the defense sends 5 or more players toward the line of scrimmage as the ball is snapped to disrupt the offense.”

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Typically, if an NFL Defense is running a 3-4 defense, they will already have five players rushing a QB. In that scheme two players on the outside are usually called the OLBs along with three DL rushing the passer as well. In a 4-3 defense, the defense is usually rushing 4 players at a time. Then, it’s a lot easier to tell if that defense is blitzing by sending an extra man (or multiple men), or not.

Here’s a typical 3-4 Defensive set:

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Here’s a typical 4-3 defensive set which the Chiefs run right now:

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The players outlined in red represent the primary rushers on any given play. While the upper picture of the 3-4 defense, offers the opportunity for a defense to allow one of their OLBs to drop back in coverage, while someone else rushes the passer, that often is not the case because the 3-4 only ends up rushing 4 defenders anyway, especially since the NFL has become more and more of a passing league. Consequently, more players are needed in coverage.

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The Chiefs have drafted well, DBs who are adept at blitzing the QB… or at least showing the blitz and then not doing it. Here’s a great play by Chiefs rookie CB Trent McDuffie:

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Later in the 2022 season, Chiefs beat writers liked to say, “This rookie” isn’t a rookie any longer” and here’s Harold R. Kuntz making that statement:

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L’Jarius Sneed is probably the Chiefs best blitzer:

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Sometimes a blitz isn’t designed to specifically target the QB… sometimes it’s a run-blitz:

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You can understand why DC Steve Spagnuolo likes to use Sneed as his most frequent blitzer:

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With Frank Clark now heading on to the Broncos, the Chiefs obviously won’t be bringing him back. The defensive linemen up front help to put pressure on the QB and RB and that allows those on the backend to make plays. Frank Clark won’t be one of those DL who force the action for the Chiefs now.

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Tip: I wonder if the trip to the White House just a few days ago had anything to do with Frank Clark signing with the Broncos? Meaning, you have to think that something was said by Andy Reid or Brett Veach to FC about the un-liklihood of the Chiefs bringing him back?

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Sometimes a blitz is done just to change the trajectory of the ball (or, at least that’s the outcome):

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Willie Gay not only had an effect on that game winning INT but he can also knock the ball out of a runners hands, like he does here while at Mississippi State:

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Sometimes, Spags calls a blitz and nothing more comes out of it than a QB sack:

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Sometimes Spags likes to send multiple blitzers at a QB to help confuse him:

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When the Chiefs drafted pass rusher BJ Thompson this year, in his first phone call with DC Steve Spagnuolo, Spags said:

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“Listen, I’m fired up to get you. You’re our kind of guy. You love playing. We’re going to blitz you. You’e going to do everything we need to have you do.”

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With Bryan Cook coming back for his sophomore season and Juan Thornhill exiting, with Willie Gay in a contract year and the Chiefs getting stronger up front by replacing Frank Clark with Charles Omenihu and adding in LB Drue Tranquill… there are many reason why the Chiefs blitz package will grow in 2023. Here’s one of Drue Tranquill’s (pictured at left) blitzes:

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@NFL_DovKleiman

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With the Chiefs season just three months away now, I’m excited about how many aspects of their Super Bowl winning roster have improved. That should include a number of players who can blitz better, and blitz with greater frequency.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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