The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 11-1 on the season and secured their 10th consecutive season in the playoffs, after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Friday. While the win allowed the Chiefs some breathing room in their division and in the AFC as a whole, their performance left much to be desired. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, which had been their strongest unit for the first half of this season, then things began to take a turn for the worse.
Kansas City managed to hold Las Vegas to only 17 points, but they still gave up two explosive touchdown passes in the second half, which has been their biggest issue over the last three games. The recurring lapses in their secondary and open-field tackling have led to these chunk plays that in the first half of the season might have happened once a game now happening three, four, or even five times a game.
Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Struggles In Key Moments
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnoulo is well regarded as one of the top coordinators in the NFL. His ability to come up with timely in-game or halftime adjustments to perfectly counter what the opposing offense wants to do is well renowned, however, this has not been the case recently. In the second half against the Raiders, the Chiefs’ defense surrendered two quick scoring drives to Las Vegas due to lapses in their coverage. On these drives, they gave up long touchdown passes of 33 and 58 yards.
Regarding their cornerback rotation which has been an area of concern as of late. During Friday’s game, the Chiefs had to go away from Nazeeh Johnson who originally started, and move to Joshua Williams. Williams showed promise and earned a 79.0 grade from PFF, which graded out as the Chiefs’ best grade for their players on defense. As for Nazeeh, who only played on 13 snaps against the Raiders, it is unlikely the coaching staff will bench him moving forward but it would not come as a surprise if his role moving forward is shrunk to give other guys a chance to showcase what they can do.
In terms of the Chiefs’ defensive front, which was led by Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, this unit had a decent day. Their performance was overshadowed though by coverage weaknesses. Jones racked up two sacks, and Karlaftis added another, but the defense failed to stop the big plays. These breakdowns at some point will cost the Chiefs if they are not corrected as soon as possible. A team even as great as this one can only get by far so long before it all comes crashing down.
Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Injuries and Adjustments
This season the injury bug has hit the Chiefs especially hard, compared to years past. This season they have lost multiple starters on offense, and on the defensive side of the ball they most recently lost Cornerback Jaylen Watson to a season-ending ankle injury. After losing L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason, the plan was for Watson to be the No. 2 cornerback playing opposite side of Trent McDuffie, and this plan worked well when Watson was on the field.
Ever since he went down in Week 7, the secondary room has struggled to find stability. McDuffie’s play has fallen off because of it, and as things stand now the Chiefs don’t have a clear answer to resolve the issues plaguing them.
With Johnson having his snaps limited against the Raiders, and while Williams has shown some promise in his limited snaps, they are still far from any clear road forward. The most likely plan moving forward is going to be a collective effort where the Spagnuolo will have to just rotate guys out based on whoever has the hot hand. He will have to play it by ear from there because the talent pool has been diminished with the loss of both Sneed and Watson.
Despite all of this, the Chiefs got back a vital piece on their defensive line in Defensive End Charles Omenihu who made his return against the Raiders after being out with an ACL injury. Although Omenihu didn’t have the most memorable performance on the day, he did play in half of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps and made the rest of the defensive line better for it, which resulted in the Chiefs’ defense having a three-sack day.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Correctable Flaws and Defensive Potential
Even with all of these struggles the Chiefs are faced with, heading into Week 14 of the NFL season they remain the top seed in the AFC and hold the best record in the NFL. The defense, with all of its recent struggles, has still only surrendered more than 27 points two times this season. When they have needed to deliver in clutch moments they have done so.
Most recently against the Raiders, when Nick Bolton recovered the fumble by the Raiders center, which sealed the victory for Kansas City. Time and time again, even with all of these issues facing their defense, when it’s winning time they have come through with the necessary plays to get the job done.
With five games left in the regular season, the Chiefs have time to strengthen their defense. This team is led by hall of famers on and off the field, who are arguably the most battled-tested in the entire NFL. If there’s any group that should receive the benefit of the doubt that they will figure this thing out before the playoffs roll around it’s this team. Even with all of their issues has only lost one time since Christmas.
Final Thoughts
The Chiefs secured another victory in Week 13, but it was not without struggle. Kansas City once again needed a last-second play to escape with the win, which once again showcased both their resilience in the clutch but also their shortcomings.
While their defense had made the critical plays when it mattered most, the same issues that had reared their head since the Buffalo Bills games have remained consistent. Issues in coverage and tackling in the open field. These are issues that can’t be ignored, especially if this team is serious about achieving its ultimate goal this season.
With playoff positioning on the line, every game presents a chance to improve. The Chiefs’ defense has the talent and potential to return to its championship-caliber form, but time is running out to patch up their flaws. Facing the Chargers this week, the Chiefs will have another shot at redemption on extended rest, to course correct their issues as the regular season winds down.
