Chiefs have what it takes to put legendary platitude of football to the test
When former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships" little did he know it was a football canon event. The latter half of the phrase has been one of the most legendary platitudes of every level of football for decades, but it hasn't always been right. […]
When former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships" little did he know it was a football canon event.
The latter half of the phrase has been one of the most legendary platitudes of every level of football for decades, but it hasn't always been right. That has especially been the case in regards to a Kansas City Chiefs team that has appeared in three Super Bowls and has won two in the past four seasons.
The offense has typically been the phase of the game that the Chiefs have hung their hat on. This season, however, things are looking quite different for Kansas City. The offense has been good, but they've not played to their typical standards, notably struggling with penalties and dropped passes. They finished the regular season with 59 offensive penalties, the second most in the NFL to only the New York Jets. They averaged 2.6 dropped passes per game, which was good for the most in the NFL.
Instead, the defense has been the Chiefs' calling card in 2023. They've got a lock-down secondary, a pass rush that produced the second-most sacks in the NFL this season (57), and a penchant for holding great offenses to few points. They're the only team in the NFL this season yet to allow an opponent to score 30 points in a single game.
Dolphins game proves Chiefs have a championship defense:
The Dolphins were one of the Chiefs' biggest tests finishing as the top offense in the NFL in many statistical categories. Kansas City's defense passed that test with flying colors, and they did so twice this season.
Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen shared the cliff notes of what they managed to accomplish:
Some individual performances on the defensive side of the ball also standout, through a single postseason game.
- Mike Edwards is tied for the NFL postseason lead in interceptions this year with one.
- George Karlaftis' 1.5 sacks are the third-most by a single player so far this postseason.
- Trent McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed have combined for four passes defended, the most by any cornerback duo this postseason.
This team imposed their will against the Dolphins on both sides of the ball in this game, but what they've been able to accomplish on the defensive side of the ball this season is special. Steve Spagnuolo has his unit firing on all cylinders so far this postseason. Should they keep it up, they'll have a chance to prove the phrase coined by Paul "Bear" Bryant right.
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