Chiefs Defense: A Pooch Kissing Contest

David Bell

True. I’ll own up to it, I’m a Chiefs Eternal Optimist. However, while the offense performed well, the defense had two turnovers in a a pooch kissing contest. After the Mathieu pick-6, the defense headed south, unerringly. Heap the critique on my back and I will carry it for a piece, I deserve it.

I came away from the game on Sunday night with deep disappointment and a bit of anger as well. In the end, driving for the go-ahead score, the Chiefs fumbled away the win. That movement was the cap to the whole game picture, which had started out on a real emotional high with Mathieu’s picks.

Kissing the Pooch

Boy howdy, did we ever, all game long. Even at the end, I was certain, in my optimism, of the great Chiefs mystique, that they should not score too quickly, lest we give Jackson and crew an opportunity to take the game back. Nowhere did I envision a fumble by 2nd year RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Nowhere did I think that a rookie DE, Odafe Oweh — a player that I had on my Draft List of Possibilities, albeit I must give credence to the notion that he was not at the top of my list either — would cause that fumble. Fumble he did and that turnover, the Chief’s second of the game sealed the deal and the Chiefs puckered up and kissed the pooch, in a game where they were seeking out their whiskered companions to plant kisses left and right.

There is really no way that I can account for how poorly the Chiefs played this football game — that critique is not leveled at the offense. It is aimed squarely at DC Steve Spagnuolo and the Defense.

How to Not Make Tackles

The one thing that I noticed as early as the midpoint of the first quarter, was the Front Four appeared to fend blocks successfully. However, they failed to adjust to the RB who made his cut and our linemen reached for the tackle instead of moving their feet to get in a squared position. I was absolutely sure that the week’s prep for the Ravens would be highly focused on making good tackles. After week one exposed poor technique, I believed that we would see a marked improvement. We did not. I was not the only one to observe that the Chiefs had a poor showing making tackles in week one. An article by Charles Goldman focused on the problems we witnessed in Week One:

“According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs’ defense missed a whopping 12 tackles against the Browns. Five of those missed tackles came from a single player, Chiefs DB Daniel Sorensen.”

I recall one very specific snap of the Chiefs Interior defensive line: the Ravens run right up the gut. I see Jarran Reed doing a good job of using his hands to fend off the blocker. He is squared up, looking for the ball carrier, who bursts to the left side of the blocker that Jarran is working. Too late, Reed sees the RB cut to the left, he reaches with his arm and the RB blows right by him and is immediately in the second level of the defense.

How not to Read Plays

This is one that frustrated me to no end. K.C. LB’s failed to diagnose plays and position themselves in order to stop the run. It was as if there were magic spells being cast on the Raven’s side of the ball. No matter what, the Chiefs were late to diagnose what was happening or they did not read and follow the play without getting tangled up in their blocking melee.

Watching the LB, they were waiting for the read, but they either:

1. made it too late or,

2. got into the tangle and could not make a play.

This was especially true when the ball went off tackle, or worse, outside wide to the Chiefs defensive left. Too often, LDE Chris Jones, failed to set the edge. The ball carrier skirted Jones to the outside in the #7 gap and he failed to prevent the play from going outside the hash marks. Meanwhile, runs to the inside were highly effective at the same time, either side of the center. The Chiefs LB group failed to cover the gaps, reading plays in order to be in a position to close the gap and make tackles. It was a miserable performance and adding insult to injury, the pass coverage was awful at the same time.

I was totally frustrated by the LB play.

How to Leave the Backend Totally Open

Sure, I acknowledge Tyrann Mathieu’s two picks. You have to say to the GM Brett Veach: sign that guy up! However, that isn’t what I want to point out.

• First: why wasn’t Juan Thornhill on the field for about 80% of the snaps? Or conversely, why was Dan Sorensen out there so much? I love dirty Dan a bunch but the proper defender as the deep coverage player on this team is Juan Thornhill.

• Second observation: Sorensen left the deep ball, as the center fielder, completely available to Lamar Jackson, who saw it, stepped into the pocket and made a jump pass completion to Marquise Brown that resulted in a score. There was no more glaring failure in this game of a player who did not do his job more than is evident from this single play. See the clip, here:

How to Fail to fill the Gaps Summary

The Linebackers were not in a position to close a gap and make tackles. The reasons were due to multiple causes: Poor reads, getting tangled with the front four, and of course, good play-calling and blocking on the part of the Ravens.

How Not to Cover Crossing Routes

Whether it was a WR or a TE, the Chiefs appeared to watch receivers streak across the middle in lateral pass routes. They were continuously open and they were catching the ball in full stride.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “Spags will make adjustments at halftime”

If they were made, I didn’t know what they were nor if they were made, it provided no real solution.

Is there an Optimistic Takeaway?

Sure, the Chiefs played two top contenders in the opening two games of 2021. They won one, lost one. K.C. faced a top-level team on the road, played poorly, and almost waltzed away with victory #2. Even with two turnovers, the offense scored 28 points. I observed early on in writing about the 2021 season, that our toughest stretch was the first five games. The defense can only get better from here on out. I think.

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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