O Kansas City Chiefs domina a NFL in recent years like few teams have done in history. With a powerful attack, led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the team reached three Super Bowls, with two titles, in the last 4 years. However, in the current season, the team reached its sixth conference final in a row, but with a new formula, a new look. The once unstoppable attack cooled off. Now, instead, the franchise relies on one of the best defenses in the league. And it all started with a request.
O cornerback L’Jarius Sneed asked defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo a simple question during the off-season. Instead of occupying several positions on the field, as he had done in 2022, how about allowing him to shadow the opponent’s best receiver each week?
The Chiefs had been hurt in some games due to strong performances from receivers in 2022, with Sneed often out of the picture. They had a second option to cover the inside of the field, with their other cornerback starter, Trent McDuffie, so Spagnuolo thought he could give it a try.
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The experiment worked. There are several reasons why the Chiefs finished the regular season producing the second-fewest points (17.3) and yards (289.8) per game, and Sneed’s work is at the top of the list.
“What’s special about LJ (Sneed) is he loves a challenge, he wants to play their best receiver,” Spagnuolo said. “That’s why we have this defense. When you have a guy like him, who you can trust, even when facing their star, the other 10 players unite around him”, continued the defensive coordinator.
Sneed is part of a defense that helped the Chiefs create a new identity in a season full of offensive difficulties, an area that was usually the team’s strong point. O quarterback Patrick Mahomes is having the worst statistical season of his career, and wide receivers lead the NFL in dropped passes. But the Chiefs will make their sixth consecutive American Conference (AFC) final next Sunday (28), for the first time away from home, in large part because of their defense, which could face its toughest challenge yet against the favorite for the MVP award, Lamar Jackson, quarterback do Baltimore Ravens.
“I really wouldn’t want to play [contra] our defense,” Mahomes said. “It has depth, with players taking turns and doing everything. Plus, there’s Spags [referindo-se a Spagnuolo] drawing the schematic. All the defenders are so well trained that you never know where they are on the field”, concluded ‘the brain’ from Kansas City.
The defensive resurgence began last season, when safety Justin Reid was the Chiefs’ top signing. The team traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a package of draft picks, including Miami’s first, giving the Chiefs two first-round picks.
They used both on defensive players: McDuffie, who was selected to the All-Pro first team this year, and defensive end George Karlaftis, who tied with Chris Jones for the team lead in sacks with 10. .5.
The Chiefs could have spent free agent money this season on a veteran wide receiver like Odell Beckham Jr. or DeAndre Hopkins, but they gambled on developing their young wide receivers, which, with the exception of Rashee Rice, didn’t happen.
On the other hand, the money they spent on defense was a wise investment. They signed defensive end Charles Omenihu, linebacker Drue Tranquill and safety Mike Edwards and got significant contributions from all of them. Omenihu was third on the team in sacks, with seven; Tranquill started eight regular season games and had 4.5 sacks; and Edwards contributed to several key plays, such as his fumble recovery that led to the decisive touchdown in the Week 9 victory over the Dolphins.
“Sneed can play inside and outside, so can McDuffie, all the linebackers can defend and tackle. That’s why in training I was like, ‘Man, I’m glad I don’t have to play against those guys, because it would be tough. ‘” Mahomes said.
At the beginning of the season…
At the start of the season, the Chiefs were hopeful about where their defense could go, but not as certain as Mahomes. Jones, the team’s sack leader in each of the previous five seasons, was out, Omenihu was suspended and Spagnuolo even warned that the Chiefs might not be ready.
“There are a lot of moving pieces,” Spagnuolo said shortly before the start of the season. “Sometimes it takes the beginning of the season to discover who you are and what you have in your hands. Along the way, you hope to win a few games, but that can take a while,” he continued.
It didn’t take long. In the season opener, the Chiefs gave up 14 points to the Detroit Lionswho finished fifth in scoring, and then controlled the game defensively against Jacksonville Jaguars.
The players’ versatility has been fundamental for the Chiefs. His defensive linemen often position themselves differently on each play. This helped the Chiefs finish the season second in the league in sacks. Jones played primarily in the middle, but had five of his sacks on the wing.
“No other coordinator in the league is going to give you the amount of work that Steve gives his players every week,” said defensive backs coach Dave Merritt. “It’s always changing, always changing. It’s fluid.”
“I told the kids, ‘You will never play in another system that is as difficult as this one. No matter where you go from now, if you find another coordinator who gives you more work in terms of technique and tactics… call for me and I’ll pay you a hundred dollars.'”
Sneed was responsible for covering the opponent’s best receiver for most of the season; the list includes Hill twice, Justin Jefferson, Garrett Wilson, AJ Brown and Ja’Marr Chase, among others.
Only Davante Adams, from Las Vegas Raidersin Week 12, caught at least three passes and had 50 yards being defended by Sneed, according to Next Gen Stats.
“When you have a DB (defensive back) like him who can just defend the opposing best receivers, it makes everything easier for everyone else,” McDuffie said.
Sneed seemed unimpressed with the season he had, saying, “I still have more work to do. I still have something to prove.”
The Chiefs know otherwise. They weren’t the only ones who appreciated Sneed’s season. Although he was not initially elected to the Pro Bowl team or All-Pro units, Sneed received a special invitation from the AFC’s Pro Bowl coach, former quarterback Peyton Manning, who was blunt: “He should have gotten in [nas escolhas].”
*Translation: Vinicius Garcia