The Kansas City Chiefs defense had another lackluster performance on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Steve Spagnoulo’s unit gave up a late fourth quarter touchdown and two-point conversion which put the team in a position where they would either have another walk-off win or go into overtime and a coin flip could decide which team walked away with the win. Fortunately, in the Chiefs case, they have Patrick Mahomes and he was able to drive the offense down the field and set up their new kicker nicely for a walk-off field goal as time expired. This secured their 30-27 win over the Panthers.
However, even with the win, players on the defense expressed a need to be better as the playoffs approach. Safety Bryan Cook did not shy away from addressing the need for improvement. “We’ve got to do better. We’re doing good in the red zone, but that’s only a third of the field,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, we’re all vets in the room for the most part. As I said before, we’ve got to go back to the drawing board, see what we’re doing, and correct it from there.”
Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Struggles In Week 12
The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has been going in the wrong direction for the past two weeks, despite the majority of this season being one of the best units in the NFL. Although there do remain some glaring issues, that they did not have around this time last season. One of those areas is their pass rush which has been a consistent point of concern throughout the season. Entering Week 12, the Chiefs ranked near the bottom of the NFL with only 19 sacks. Against the Panthers they recorded just two sacks, bringing their season total to 21, which puts them on pace for 32. That is far below their production in recent championship runs.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie, Linebacker Nick Bolton, and Defensive Tackle Mike Danna were all able to get to Panthers Quarterback Bryce Young and either record a sack or at least a quarterback hit. However, even with their unrelenting pressure on Young, he displayed an escapability that he hasn’t shown so far in his career and was able to maneuver out of the Chiefs’ various blitz packages and find his receivers down the field for chunk plays. “When we’re there,” said Chiefs Defensive Tackle Chris Jones, “we’ve got to get him down.”
Then due to their lack of pressure up front, their secondary has been exposed in recent weeks, with their inability to tackle immediately at the point of contact. This resulted in four plays of 20+ yards against the Panthers. The Chiefs lost their top cornerback from a season ago, L’Jarius Sneed, and the recent injury to Jaylen Watson, left the Chiefs cornerback room handicapped to a degree and it’s shown itself in coverage assignments. The Panthers were able to exploit this, and it was the main reason they were able to get the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.
Chiefs Challenges Against Carolina
The Carolina Panthers entered this game against the Chiefs ranked at dead last in offense in the NFL, and managed to achieve 334 total yards of offense. Young arguably had its best performance to date against the two-time defending champs completing 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers also only punted the ball twice, scoring on every other possession in the game.
The most glaring defensive possession from the Chiefs came on Carolina’s opening drive of the second half. The Panthers were able to put together a 15-play, 70-yard drive that consumed over eight minutes. This drive was so surprising because Spagnuolo is known for his adjustments during the game, especially coming out of halftime. Yet, in this game, the defense looked significantly worse in the second half compared to the first, and this drive set the tone for a second half in which Carolina repeatedly found ways to move the ball effectively.
“We had times where we didn’t execute at the highest level, and the team exploited that,” said Cook. “So, we’ve got to figure that out, go back to the drawing board, and see what we can do.”
Defensive Optimism Moving Forward
Although the Chiefs’ defense has clear areas they need to address, they did win the game. This means, there were some bright spots, one of them being the Chiefs’ red zone defense. On six attempts, the Chiefs only gave up two touchdowns. Nick Bolton also highlighted specific areas for improvement when he spoke to the media on Monday, particularly in preventing explosive plays. “Explosive passes, I think we can work on that, and that’s just everybody working together,” Bolton said.
Although this defense has faltered a bit in recent weeks it’s fortunate to have a room filled with veterans that have championship experience and understand what’s at stake moving forward. Jones echoed this optimistic sentiment, pointing to the remaining six games on the schedule. “There’s a lot of football left to be played,” Jones said, expressing confidence in the team’s ability to improve.
Final Thoughts
The Chiefs’ defensive lapses in Week 12 have become more than a blimp, but something that is a real concern and will need to be addressed before the end of the regular season. While their main struggles lie in their lack of pass rush and secondary coverage, this unit is still one of the best in the NFL and has the track record to prove it. If there’s any team that can figure it out, and get back on track it’s this team. With there being only six games left in the regular season, the Chiefs still have the time necessary to address these concerns and regain their dominant form.
With reinforcements on the way for Kansas City, they will have an opportunity to regroup and figure this thing out before the playoffs arrive. However, if they do continue spiraling defensively, their chances of securing a third consecutive championship come into question. The next few weeks will be vital for the defense and their performance in the coming weeks will undoubtedly shape Kansas City’s fate in the 2024 playoffs.
