The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are again within the Tremendous Bowl for a fourth time in 5 seasons, having smothered Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 to win the AFC Championship in Baltimore’s constructing.
We’re used to discussing Kansas Metropolis’s dominance via Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid, and the offensive juggernaut. This 12 months’s Chiefs workforce, whereas nonetheless statistically superb, has been removed from the well-oiled machine we’ve come accustomed to watching. What’s totally different in regards to the Chiefs is that they lastly have a high-level protection, which ought to terrify the remainder of the NFL.
Coach Spags
By DVOA, the 2023 Ravens and the 2007 Patriots are each among the many 5 biggest NFL groups of all time.
They each held their opponent to 17 factors.
They each misplaced to this man. pic.twitter.com/w95JzLr5vB
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 28, 2024
Kansas Metropolis completed 2nd in factors allowed (behind the Ravens), 1st in second-half factors allowed, and stay the one workforce but to permit 30 factors this season. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo stays on the high of his recreation. Whereas the Chiefs have had typically average-to-good defenses below Spags, together with his championship-winning debut season in 2019, that is the primary top-10 protection by DVOA the Chiefs have had within the Mahomes period.
Lamar Jackson was flummoxed all afternoon. In contrast to final week in opposition to the Houston Texans, had few solutions for the Spags’ blitz-heavy gameplan.
#Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo with a profitable recreation plan vs seemingly MVP Lamar Jackson.@ESPNStatsInfo: Lamar Jackson accomplished a season-low 41% of his passes in opposition to the blitz Sunday. He was blitzed on 41% of his dropbacks, his third highest confronted on the season.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) January 28, 2024
The Chiefs additionally neutralized Jackson as a runner, limiting him to solely 33 scramble yards on 7 makes an attempt and one 21-yard designed keep it up a 4th-and-1 within the opening quarter. Baltimore as a workforce rushed for a season-low 81 yards, partially due to the curiously pass-heavy script by offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but in addition as a result of Kansas Metropolis contained Jackson exceptionally properly.
Spagnuolo’s repute as an enormous recreation coordinator has been properly established ever since his two Tremendous Bowl wins with the New York Giants over the New England Patriots. Whether or not it’s disguising coverages or daring quarterbacks to beat his blitzes, Spags’ observe report within the playoffs is glowing.
Younger expertise in any respect three ranges
Chris Jones is the anchor and star participant on the Chiefs protection, however basic supervisor Brett Veach has executed a wonderful job of restocking that facet of the ball with promising defensive expertise.
Final 12 months’s draft class, which featured loads of defensive snaps for Kansas Metropolis’s rookies, has seen a pair of gamers breakthrough in 12 months two. Trent McDuffie was taken twenty first total within the 2022 draft and earned first-team All-Professional honors as a slot cornerback. Edge rusher George Karlaftis, taken solely 9 picks later, is tied with Jones with a team-leading 10.5 sacks.
2020 fourth-round choose L’Jarius Sneed, who made the debatable game-clinching compelled fumble on Zay Flowers to disclaim the Ravens a 4th quarter landing, simply missed out on his first All-Professional choice, however he’s established himself as a premier nook who might be due an enormous payday this offseason.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, Kansas Metropolis’s high draft choose in 2021, had the essential fumble return landing within the Tremendous Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and was the one who snuffed out Buffalo’s pretend punt final week.
At the least on protection, the Chiefs have discovered a number of high-impact gamers on rookie contracts who ought to be part of their plans for seasons to come back.
That is under no circumstances the Chiefs’ greatest workforce, however it’s harmful in a approach we’ve not seen earlier than throughout this dynastic run. Patrick Mahomes might not have as nice an offensive supporting solid as we’ve seen in years previous, however the greatest addition this season is a good protection able to shutting down the league’s greatest quarterbacks.
