KC Chiefs: Young Secondary Tested Frequently in 2016

The KC Chiefs knew that their secondary would have to step it up in 2016 with the loss of SeanSmith in free agency. It came at a bad time too, as the Chiefs have had to face a lot of top receivers in the NFL this season.

Any time a team loses their top cornerback, regression in the secondary is to be expected. The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t done as poorly as many thought they would though. In fact, when considering just who the Chiefs have faced so far this season, they’ve actually fared pretty well.

Here are the receivers that the Chiefs have faced in 11 games this season (their game day stats when facing the Chiefs are in parenthesis):

Keenan Allen (6 receptions for 63 yards before leaving the game with an injury)
DeAndre Hopkins (7 receptions for 113 yards and 1 touchdown)
Brandon Marshall (3 receptions for 27 yards)
Antonio Brown (4 receptions for 64 yards, 2 touchdowns)
Amari Cooper (10 receptions for 129 yards)
Brandin Cooks (7 receptions for 58 yards, 1 touchdown)
T.Y. Hilton (1 reception for 20 yards)
Allen Robinson (7 receptions for 76 yards, 1 touchdown)
Kelvin Benjamin (7 receptions for 84 yards)
Mike Evans (6 receptions for 105 yards)
Demaryius Thomas (5 receptions for 60 yards)

Those are some pretty impressive names, but the KC Chiefs secondary has held their own for the most part.

Yes, there were some bad games for them (i.e. against Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh), but considering the opposition, Kansas City has done okay against some of the best receivers in the league.

The biggest struggle for Kansas City in the secondary has obviously been at the second cornerback spot. Marcus Peters has proven himself enough that quarterbacks don’t want anything to do with throwing his way.

With Peters being ignored, the other cornerback is getting picked on like crazy. Take Phillip Gaines in last weekend’s game at Denver, for example.

Trevor Siemian showed that he didn’t want to be picked off by Peters and kept targeting Gaines’ side of the field. Gaines didn’t fare well, giving up over 200 yards on the night.

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/g6TCFLB1S1
— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) November 28, 2016

It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had Gaines been targeted in the double digits and gave all of that up. Instead though, Gaines was only targeted eight times and surrendered over 200 yards and two touchdowns on six completions (that’s what the above tweet indicates). Not good.

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With Julio Jones on the agenda for this weekend’s match-up in Atlanta, the Chiefs young secondary will continue to be tested. Hopefully with Justin Houston back in the fold and able to generate pressure, the secondary will have some time to cover their man down the field and prevent big plays.

Peters has been good this year, picking off the football five times, but occasionally giving up big plays. He tends to make opposing quarterbacks pay though.

Gaines struggled last week, but there’s a chance that he regains his confidence this weekend against the Falcons. He and Steven Nelson will likely be teamed against Jones and they need to be able to stop him or else it’ll be a long day for the Chiefs secondary.

There are going to be issues with secondaries as young as the KC Chiefs’. We all expected a step back when Smith decided to sign with the Oakland Raiders during the offseason, and the secondary, for the most part, has played pretty well.

Next: Chiefs Vs Falcons: Rating the Match-Ups

The good part about a younger secondary, however, is that they’ll be on this team together for several years and will grow together. That should make them one of the best units in the league in years to come.

What do you think of this Kansas City Chiefs secondary?

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