Chiefs' defense must find creative ways to get pressure on 49ers QB Brock Purdy without DL Charles Omenihu
The Kansas City Chiefs have ridden a wave of momentum during the postseason, but one setback that they've had is the loss of defensive lineman Charles Omenihu.Omenihu tore his ACL two weeks ago in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. He obviously won't be playing in Super Bowl LVIII against […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have ridden a wave of momentum during the postseason, but one setback that they've had is the loss of defensive lineman Charles Omenihu.
Omenihu tore his ACL two weeks ago in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. He obviously won't be playing in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Fransisco 49ers, which presents a big challenge for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Kansas City's pressure rate on the quarterback drops from 40.5 percent to 36.1 without Omenihu on the field. Its sack rate also decreases from 11.6 percent to 6.7. The most concerning factor about those numbers is that Spagnuolo's blitz rate is over four percent higher (40.5) without Omenihu than with him (36.1). This means that the Chiefs are getting less pressure and fewer sacks despite blitzing more often.
To Spagnuolo's credit, his defense played very well without Omenihu for the first six weeks of the regular season as he served a suspension. It allowed just 14.7 points per game during that span, which is almost a full three points less than what it finished the season at. The Chiefs' defense was also able to keep the clamps on the Ravens' offense throughout the entire second half without Omenihu.
Still, losing a player of Omenihu's caliber is never a positive, especially considering he was really hitting his stride over the past month. Omenihu registered seven sacks, 12 QB pressures, and 28 tackles in 11 games on the season. Other defensive linemen such as Mike Danna and rookie Felix Anudike-Uzomah will need to step up to fill his void.
The rest of the burden falls on Spagnuolo. Not only will he need to utilize his other defensive lineman properly, but he'll also need to come up with creative ways to get pressure on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Fortunately, creative blitzing is his specialty. Watch for Spagnuolo to bring pressure from all angles and different personnel, including linebackers and defensive backs.
Chiefs Injury Report: Two players ruled out, one questionable for Super Bowl LVIII
The Kansas City Chiefs have listed their game status designations for Super Bowl LVIII and they’ve ruled out two offensive linemen for the game.
