Kansas City Chiefs: What’s up with the defense?

The Chiefs are the best team in the league. The defense is starting to raise eyebrows however.

When your team has more wins than everyone it’s hard to be negative. The Kansas City Chiefs have blown away expectations as they remain undefeated after five weeks.

The defense isn’t matching the offense and that fact seems to be a little backward. Our defense has been a staple in the NFL.

This season is flipped on its head. The Chiefs have been mediocre or worse on the offensive side of the ball for quite some time. This season our offense is near impossible to stop.

It was the defense that saved games for the Chiefs in recent years. It was the defense that won games for the Chiefs.

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Through five games the defense has come up big at times and that’s a true statement. Even truer a statement would be our defense has looked embarrassing at times.

The fourth quarter against the Texans pops out when finding a negative angle to write about an undefeated team.

For three quarters the Chiefs did very well against Deshaun Watson and the Texans. The fourth quarter our defense made him look like an instant Hall of Fame quarterback.

The score was 26-13 Chiefs at the start of the 4th Quarter. The offense played well in the 4th. Special teams even got in the mix of scoring with Tyreek Hill. The defense, however, looked like my 1st grade football team.

The number, however,

ss is calling the Kansas City Chiefs the best team in football. Others go as far as saying clearly the best.

I’m not necessarily disagreeing with them, yet I’m not as comfortable stating it.

After five weeks I admit, the Chiefs are my favorite to go to the Super Bowl. But what’s up with the defense?

The numbers are not impressive defensively for the Chiefs. In fact,

they’re pretty scary.

Defensive Rankings

Total Team Defense rating 27 of 32
Team Rushing rating 20 of 32
Team Passing rating 25 of 32
Points Allowed rating 17 of 32
Team Takeaway rating 13 of 32

Looking at these numbers a person might think you were looking at a team with a losing record.

Yes, there is a lot more to it than pure numbers. These numbers together are trouble. If these numbers wavered whatsoever, it would be less scary.

Thank goodness the roles have been reversed this year. It’s now the offense leading the way.

Offensive Ranking

Total Team Offense rating 2 of 32
Total Team Rushing rating 2 of 32
Team Passing rating 9 of 32
Points Scored rating 1 of 32

So what’s up with the defense

These numbers used to be the other way around. If the offensive numbers were anywhere close to last year’s, there is no way the Chiefs are unbeaten.

Zero, Zilch.

So what’s going on with the defense?

Does the loss of Eric Berry cause this disruption? That scenario has taken place before. The defensive numbers weren’t this low.

We have all heard the media talk about how good the defense is for the Chiefs. So where do they get this opinion?

In the past, this defense deserved the acknowledgment. This season has been severely underwhelming.

The defensive line has been average. Average is a good thing compared to the defense as a whole.

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The Linebackers have been alright, but if you remove Justin Houston from this group, below average play is what you would get as of now.

This brings us to the defensive backs.

Marcus Peters has the label, amongst other things, of a premier cover corner in the league. So far he’s been really good and somewhat not so good.

Ron Parker, Daniel Sorenson, and Terrance Mitchell are all decent at their positions if their position was a backup role but they’re all starting for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Then there is Philip Gaines. My mother once told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say then I shouldn’t say it. Nothing was ever mentioned about writing it however.

Gaines has been beaten until he can’t be beaten any longer. Then the guy gets beat even more.

I think Gaines is better than what we’ve seen during his tenure in a Chiefs uniform. There are times, of course, I wish he was proving that on a different team.

What happened during the fourth quarter in Houston was eye-opening. Hopefully, it isn’t a sign of what’s to come.

Help is coming soon for the Chiefs defense. Tamba Hali should provide some strength to the linebacker group. Steven Nelson is the best defensive back the Chiefs that don’t have the name, Peters. Let’s hope so anyway.

There is less bend and more break to this defense, however. In the previous years, it was expected to give up some yards without worry. This season the same cannot be said.

Next: Chiefs All-Time Leaders in Receiving Touchdowns

If the offense stays at the pace it’s on, the Chiefs should be just fine, but perhaps not in a Super Bowl contender type of fine.

If the defense turns things around for the better, then I’m writing about the Super Bowl Champions as we speak.