L'Jarius Sneed's shutdown coverage can help lift them to Super Bowl return
While the struggles of the Kansas City Chiefs' offense have provoked much debate during the 2023 season, one thing that is in no doubt is that the Chiefs go into the playoffs with a defense that can carry them along way. The Chiefs finished the regular season sixth in Expected Points Added per play on […]
While the struggles of the Kansas City Chiefs' offense have provoked much debate during the 2023 season, one thing that is in no doubt is that the Chiefs go into the playoffs with a defense that can carry them along way.
The Chiefs finished the regular season sixth in Expected Points Added per play on defense, per rbsdm.com, and fourth by Success Rate. In DVOA, which measures per play efficiency, the Chiefs' defense ended the year seventh.
No defense allowed fewer explosive pass plays than the Chiefs' 39 this season, with their success in that regard in large part down to an impressive and young secondary.
One of the most experienced members of that defensive backfield is L'Jarius Sneed, a fourth-round pick in 2020 whose game has gone to another level in 2023 and who could be critical to Kansas City's hopes of defending its Super Bowl title.
Sneed missed out on being named to the Pro Bowl, but the spotlight of the playoffs, and a tough matchup with the Miami Dolphins and former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill during the Wild Card round, may make his gifts in coverage much more clear to the wider NFL world, with the cornerback heading into the postseason after a regular season in which he consistently demonstrated his ability to lock down opposing wideouts.
Indeed, per NextGen Stats, Sneed did not allow a single touchdown across 90 targets as the nearest defender, with only Stephon Gilmore (96 in 2019) and A.J. Bouye (92 in 2017) recording more such targets without giving up a score since 2016.
On top of that, Sneed allowed a receiver to gain more than 40 yards just once in the regular season, doing so in his matchup with Davante Adams in Week 12.
In the playoffs, the edge of having a defender who can essentially take away an opponent's best receiver is magnified.
Stopping both Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be a huge challenge that will obviously require more than just Sneed to be at his best.
But his emergence as a shutdown corner has given the Chiefs a huge asset for the postseason and, if they are to build what many see as unlikely momentum towards a return to the Super Bowl, Sneed's extremely stingy coverage will play a huge role.
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