Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo’s defense had an elite showing vs. Colts in Week 12, but it still feels like a few things are missing

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo’s defense still has something to work toward after taking down the NFL’s top offense in Week 12.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 was characterized by a dominant defensive performance, but it still lacked something on that side of the ball.

On the whole, the Chiefs held Indianapolis to their fewest total yards and first downs in a single game this season. They made the league’s No. 1 offense, by numerous metrics, look pedestrian down the stretch with the game on the line. It’s not like this game didn’t matter for Indianapolis either, as the Jacksonville Jaguars are hot on their tail for the AFC South lead.

The Colts went three-and-out on their final four possessions in Week 12, after only going three-and-out 13 times during the 2025 NFL season leading into the game. They had no gain longer than seven yards in those four possessions. The Colts gained just 18 total yards in the entire fourth quarter.

“I thought (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags had a nice plan defensively against one of the best offenses in the National Football League,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “One of the top offenses.”

Perhaps the most impressive feat was slowing down Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor. He was held to 58 rushing yards on 16 attempts, with no touchdowns, despite averaging over 115 rushing yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game this season. Speaking to reporters following the game, Chiefs DT Chris Jones praised Spags for his ability to position the defense to make plays.

“I can’t spill too much on our defense, but Spags does a really, really good job of moving us
around and getting me in spaces to make plays,” Jones told reporters. “For us today, we executed at a high level in all phases of our defense. We gave up a few big runs, but it’s okay.”

Even with things mostly going the way of the defense, there were still a few important things missing from their impressive performance on Sunday.

Turnovers and sacks remain hard to find for the Chiefs’ defense

Despite an impressive defensive performance, the Chiefs failed to register a sack or a turnover in Week 12 against the Colts. They had six quarterback hits on the day, but no sacks on Colts QB Daniel Jones. They also had no turnovers on the day, but gave away the football twice with a Patrick Mahomes interception and a Kareem Hunt fumble. The big problem here is that it’s not just a one-off occurrence for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense this season. They rank near the bottom of the NFL in both sacks and turnover totals.

Chiefs’ sack & turnover totals for 2025

  • Sacks: 22 (Tied for eighth-fewest).
  • Turnovers: 9 (Tied for fourth-fewest).

The lack of sacks is no surprise for anyone who has watched the defense this season. They’ve struggled to win with four-man pressure and have heavily relied on Steve Spagnuolo’s blitz packages to get after the quarterback. It’s no surprise that on each of the Colts’ three-and-outs in the fourth quarter, Spags called a blitz.

As for the turnover situation, Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt explained the phenomenon a week ago, at least when it comes to the lack of interceptions (6) this season.

“With the style of defense we play, a lot of times, guys have their backs turned to the ball to the quarterback, so it’s not as easy to have picks,” Merritt said. “But overall, we have had some opportunities that you wish you can have back. You know, just tips and overthrows are always going to be happening in every game we have. And so some of those tips and overthrows, you would love to capitalize on them, but yeah, definitely would love to have more turnovers. We’re harping that every week.”

So, as encouraging as the defensive performance against the Colts was, this unit still has a lot of work to do if it’s to reach its full potential.

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