Chiefs defense ready to carry the team through the postseason
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has been the strength of the team in 2023. That has been a weird adjustment for Chiefs fans, who have become accustomed to seeing high-flying offense ever since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback back in 2018. If Kansas City is going to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles, it […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has been the strength of the team in 2023.
That has been a weird adjustment for Chiefs fans, who have become accustomed to seeing high-flying offense ever since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback back in 2018. If Kansas City is going to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles, it will likely do so by playing defense at a very high level.
One of the Chiefs' leaders on defense, safety Justin Reid, understands that well. Here's what he had to say when he was asked if the defense was being more heavily leaned on this year.
“The beautiful thing about defense is, it doesn’t matter what the score of the game is, it doesn't matter if you’re up, you’re down, the mission is always the same," Reid said. "Go out and stop them. Don’t let them get first downs, don’t let them drive the ball, get a turnover whenever you can. We don’t have to worry about four-minute offense, worry about the clock or whatever, the mission is always the same and that’s to get the ball back to the offense as many times as possible. I think we have a very special group; I’ve said that since training camp and I’m happy that the rest of the world has gotten to see that too, but it’s not about what we’ve done already, it's about what we’re going to do. So, we’re going to prepare for it.”
When the Chiefs host the Miami Dolphins in the wildcard round on Saturday, the defense will look to set the tone early against an explosive Miami offense. Reid commented on how everyone has to take their game up a notch during playoff time.
“It’s just faster," Reid said. "I mean all the chips are on the table, there’s no holding back, there’s no worrying about next week if you don’t take care of this week. The speed of the game is faster, the physicality is turned up a notch, the atmosphere, the stakes are magnified, big plays are magnified. Just that confidence, relying on your teammate is at a premium. Go out and play team defense, team offense, team ball in general to go out and win a football game.”
The Chiefs' defense had one of its best statistical seasons in franchise history, finishing second in the NFL in yards allowed, scoring, and sacks. It also finished fourth in pass defense. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done a tremendous coaching job this year, utilizing his players to the fullest of their abilities and dialing up his famous exotic blitzes. They'll need that group to be at their absolute best during the course of the postseason.
Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub says postseason is ‘return season’
Not sure if that’s good or bad.
