The Kansas City Chiefs have not recorded a sack since Week 1, a drought that would normally signal a pass rush in crisis. Instead, the numbers behind that dry spell tell a different story. Kansas City is generating pressure at one of the highest rates in the league, and the Chiefs’ sack drought has done little to slow a defense that has quietly become one of the most disruptive units in football.
Through four weeks, Kansas City has just 4 sacks, tied for the second-lowest total in the NFL, according to CBS Sports. Yet the same defense ranks fourth in opponent passer rating and is on pace for 259 pressures this season, which would be its highest total in a decade, per TruMedia figures cited by CBS Sports. The gap between those two numbers is the central tension in the Chiefs’ pass rush right now.
A Defense Rebuilt Almost From Scratch
Roughly 35% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps this season have gone to players who were not on the roster a year ago, according to CBS Sports. That kind of turnover typically produces growing pains, not improvement. Instead, the Chiefs’ defensive EPA per play sits at 0.04 through four weeks, the unit’s best mark since Kansas City won the Super Bowl in 2024.
The record backs up the underlying numbers. Kansas City opened the season by beating Denver 31-10 at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 14, then survived an overtime test against Indianapolis, 33-30, on Sept. 20. Wins over Miami (24-10) and Las Vegas (30-27 on Oct. 4 at Allegiant Stadium) followed, pushing the Chiefs to 4-0 despite the retooled personnel up front. That stretch helped push Kansas City to the top of this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
Pressure Without The Blitz
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has generated that pressure without leaning heavily on five-plus defender blitzes, according to CBS Sports. That approach matters beyond the pass rush itself. A lighter blitz rate keeps more defenders in coverage, easing the load on a secondary that has also seen significant roster turnover this season.
The fourth-lowest opponent passer rating in the league suggests that strategy is working on balance. Quarterbacks facing Kansas City are not picking apart the back end even as the pass rush gets home at a career-best clip for several new contributors. The question is why that disruption keeps stopping just short of the quarterback.
The Sack Drought Is Real, Even If The Pressure Isn’t The Problem
Four sacks through four games is a legitimate shortfall for a defense generating pressure at a top-tier rate. CBS Sports frames the gap as a finishing problem, disruption at the quarterback position that has not converted into sacks on the stat sheet. The fact sheet does not detail why plays are coming up just short, whether it is coverage sacks blown by strong quarterback pocket movement, missed finishing opportunities by individual rushers, or simple variance over a small four-game sample. What is clear is that the sack total alone understates how much trouble Kansas City is causing opposing passers.
The Fair Counterpoint: Sacks Still Matter
None of the underlying metrics erase the bottom line that sacks change games. A quarterback forced to the ground loses yardage, loses downs and sometimes loses the ball. Pressure that does not finish in a sack still allows a quarterback to throw, and Mahomes’ own opponents have managed to avoid that fate against Kansas City so far this season.
If the Chiefs’ pass rush keeps getting close without getting there, opposing offenses may eventually adjust protection schemes to neutralize pressure that isn’t backed up by a real sack threat. A four-game pressure rate, however strong, is still a small sample that could regress or improve as the season lengthens.
Mahomes And The Offense Have Carried Part Of The Load
The defense has not needed to be perfect because the offense has produced. Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 1,037 yards with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for a 106.2 passer rating through four games, his first extended run since tearing his ACL. Running back Kenneth Walker III led the NFL with 537 rushing yards and scored six total touchdowns over that same stretch, according to USA Today and CBS Sports.
Former Super Bowl LIII champion Jason McCourty acknowledged his skepticism about Mahomes was misplaced, saying during an ESPN discussion before Kansas City’s Week 4 game against Las Vegas that he “felt like an idiot for doubting Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City,” according to Yahoo Sports. That offensive firepower has given the defense margin for error while it works out how to turn pressure into sacks.
The Chiefs have not been without cost on offense either. Tyquan Thornton suffered a significant ankle injury in Week 4, and Rashee Rice left that same game with a hamstring strain, according to USA Today.
What To Watch
The Chiefs enter the rest of the season at 4-0 with a defense that ranks among the league’s best by EPA per play and pressure rate but still searching for its first sack since Week 1. Whether that gap closes will say a lot about how sustainable Kansas City’s defensive turnaround is. If pressures keep climbing toward that 259 projected pace without more sacks following, it will remain a notable split between advanced metrics and the box score for a defense that has otherwise rebuilt itself on the fly.
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