Chiefs honor defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with custom t-shirt
The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl 58 following a defense-heavy win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. That impressive 17-10 win was partially due to the creative genius of Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was able to carry out a game plan that shut down one of the […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to Super Bowl 58 following a defense-heavy win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
That impressive 17-10 win was partially due to the creative genius of Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was able to carry out a game plan that shut down one of the league's best offenses and an MVP candidate in Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Chiefs have been able to boast one of the league's best defenses in 2023, if not the best. That defense showed appreciation to coach Spagnuolo heading into the AFC title game by wearing a t-shirt that says "In Spags we trust." That shirt also features a scary (and hilarious)-looking Spags with bright red eyes.
Much has been said about Spagnuolo's complex defense being one of the toughest playbooks in the league for players to fully grasp. After a few years of decent defensive play under Spagnuolo, 2023 was the year that the Chiefs' defense finally reached its top-five potential.
The Chiefs' defense ended up allowing the Ravens to score just 10 points while forcing three turnovers. Now the Chiefs are on their way to playing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl 54 rematch from the 2019-20 season.
After the game, several Chiefs players continued to rep Spags by wearing the shirt:
FOX 4 reporter Harold Kuntz caught up with Spagnuolo in the postgame and asked him about the shirts. Spagnuolo loved it.
"I was humbled and embarrassed to be quite honest with you," said a happy Spagnuolo after the game. "But those guys had fun with it. Thank God we ended up doing well because I would have felt really bad if we didn't."
Spagnuolo went on to praise his personnel for executing his game plan and earning the Chiefs a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years. "It was all about the players," he said. "We've got the highest number of the most passionate and cerebral players I've ever been around. They take a game plan and they work it."
