Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen evokes boxing legend Mike Tyson to help stop Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty in Week 7
Las Vegas Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty is squarely on the Kansas City Chiefs’ radar in Week 7 and a boxing legend is helping to set the tone.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense knows that their best bet every week is to make their opponents one-dimensional. That’s not the easiest task in the NFL, and sometimes it takes a little something extra to get the point across in the practice week.
The Chiefs mostly thwarted a potent Detroit Lions rushing attack in Week 6, but veteran LB Drue Tranquill felt they could’ve played a more consistent game throughout.
“Well, I thought we played good in a lot of areas,” Tranquill said this week. “I thought there was a little bit of leakiness in the run game in the first half, but I think the message is just consistency – consistency and execution and energy. We’ll certainly have to do that this week against a division opponent.”
Facing off against the Raiders’ rookie RB Ashton Jeanty will be a more difficult task. He’s not only the NFL’s leading rusher among rookie running backs, but 20% of his rushing attempts have gone for first downs. He’s proving to be every bit the value at the No. 6 overall pick that Las Vegas thought he would be.
“Well, he (Ashton Jeanty) has incredible contact balance; you see it in that 60-plus-yard touchdown run he broke, where he was able to break the leg tackle there going down the sideline,” Tranquill said of Jeanty. “Obviously, we know what he did at Boise State. They’re giving him a lot of touches, I think you see in Indianapolis (they) gave him a swing pass for 40 yards I think to open the game and, so they’re trying to give him the ball in a lot of different ways and obviously, they think very highly of him.”
What’s the key to stopping Jeanty in Week 7? It all started on Wednesday with Chiefs DL coach and run game coordinator Joe Cullen’s famed weekly meetings.
Joe Cullen’s run-game meetings are the secret to stopping Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty in Week 7
Suppose you were a fly on the wall during one of Cullen’s run-game meetings on Wednesday, in addition to a thorough film review, you might see some visual aids—for instance, a video of boxing legend Mike Tyson’s 44 knockout victories.
“There’s some visual aids,” Cullen said on Thursday. “I like Mike Tyson. If you have to knock the run out, I want to show Mike Tyson knocking some people out.”
He’s said to add a little spice, feist, and character to each of his run-game meetings, to knock out the opposing running game. Chris Jones credits Cullen with getting the team ready to stop the run each week, with succinct breakdowns of the opponent’s rushing attack.
“Joe Cullen, he is our run game coordinator, and he’s been putting us in the right position to capitalize on the plays,” Jones said. “I think with your run game coordinator, they kind of have to display the runs throughout the week for you, right? And as you build that repetition throughout the week, you kind of know what’s coming. So for us, it’s familiarity in the game, and we’re able to be in our spots and capitalize on it.”
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty 2025 NFL Quick Facts
- 2025 NFL Draft: No. 6 overall pick out of Boise State.
- 2025 Stats: 105 carries, 424 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns.
The energy that Cullen brings to these meetings is unmatched. It’s part of the reason the meeting is scheduled for the first practice day of the week, typically on Wednesdays. Cullen helps set the tone for the week, just like stopping the run helps set the tone for the game for a defense.
“Joe’s (Cullen) got some energy to him,” Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said on Thursday. “But I think the credit really goes – the players get dialed in and right from the beginning on Wednesday morning because we always begin, no matter what team we’re facing, we’re stopping the run. I say it all the time. If they’re two-dimensional or can be two-dimensional, that’s tough on us, so let’s try and make it a one-dimensional game.”
Kansas City Chiefs News
‘We’ve got to get my brother back’ — Chiefs DT Chris Jones hopes to see former teammate return to Kansas City
Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones is once again advocating for the return of a former teammate.
