Kansas City Chiefs: Still Plenty of Time to Right the Ship
By Eric Hogan
#5 The Defense has to step up
The most blaring weakness for the Chiefs is their defense. With Marcus Peters out, the Chiefs defense is going to have to step up in a massive way if they have any hope in turning their season around and winning their division. Right now the Chiefs are the 30th ranked defense in the NFL. At least they are not dead last. That dubious honor goes to the New York Giants, who fittingly defeated the Chiefs in a 12-9 snoozer.
Whether teams are passing or running the ball against us, they are getting big chunks of yardage possession after possession. The Chiefs are slightly better in scoring defense, although still just average at best, ranked at 18th right behind the Raiders. Kansas City has not been creating turnovers or getting to the quarterback either. As you watch on Sunday, keep those things in mind when you are looking for signs of life.
The Chiefs’ solid line-backing core is certainly the glue that holds this defense together. The defensive line has done a decent job of getting some push and disrupting things in the backfield. The blaring weakness for me is the secondary. Losing Eric Berry was a massive blow for this defense. He was the leader in the locker room as well as being the most talented player on the field. Combine that loss with Marcus Peters’ antics and a one-game suspension and you have a secondary that has no identity and no leadership.
Two ways the game could go:
I expect the Raiders to throw the ball all over the field on Sunday. Meaning the Chiefs will probably get dragged into a shootout. If the Chiefs can control the clock and have success running the football, they will have a greater chance of winning the game.
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On the other hand, if the Chiefs take the bait and start throwing the ball without establishing the run, we will probably be looking at another nail-biter and a one or two possession game. Alex Smith is due for another game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.