Chiefs defense getting hot at the right time | KCSN Daily 12.27
Plus Week 18 watch party, KCSN podcasts, quotes and more Chiefs news.
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The Chiefs’ defense appears to be getting hot at just the right time. They held the Seattle Seahawks to just 10 points in Week 16, their second-lowest point total allowed all season. Seattle isn’t the toughest opponent, but they’re certainly not the easiest either. Entering Week 16, the Seahawks ranked 14th in the NFL in EPA per play, fifth in the league in EPA per rush, and 18th in the league in EPA per pass.
“I thought overall our defense had just a great day,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said following the game. “And some of those young guys, 21 (Trent McDuffie), 6 (Bryan Cook), 35 (Jaylen Watson), these guys played their tails off. (Nick) Bolton, another big day with 17 tackles. And the D-line, I thought, was extraordinary. I know it was an emotional game for Frank Clark having played there, so making sure he came out of the right tunnel, right? He did a nice job.”
One thing that really helped the defense is that they weren’t put in any sudden-change situations by the offense or the special teams. It was the first time in the last nine games that the Chiefs didn’t turn the ball over.
“I was extremely proud,” Mahomes said. “That’s a really good offense. They’ve put up points on a lot of teams this year and so for our defense to stop them in so many critical moments, that’s what we need going forward. When they play like that, we’re going to be a hard team to beat. Offensively we’ve got to execute at a little higher level, but we got what we needed done and credit to the defense of kind of holding us in there when we were struggling.”
What was behind this defensive performance, though? If you ask Frank Clark, he’ll tell you that it’s all about execution and the coaching staff getting everyone prepared the right way during a short week of practice.
“I give hats off to our coaches,” Clark said following the game. “They prepare us. (It) usually starts Monday, fresh off a victory normally, or a loss. You come into the building you’re prepping for the new team and the new week. Our coaches started off the week doing just that. We had a tough game in Houston so when you come back you got guys dwelling on it, our coaches do a good job of washing that away from our memory and getting us back into the week. We had a short week so of course, we got to get rolling, we got to get the ball rolling faster. Coach Spags (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) did a hell of a job giving us the game plan and it’s just on us to execute and you saw some execution out there today.”
Will this be a one-off for the defense or can they keep up positive trends in the final two weeks of the regular season and heading into the playoffs? The confidence they gained in Week 16 will certainly go a long way, but it’ll be up to the coaches and the players to keep things rolling.
KC Laboratory - Main takeaways from Chiefs’ double-digit victory vs. Seahawks:
KCSN’s Craig Stout and Matt Lane give their in-depth thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs' Christmas Eve victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Do you want to learn more about Travis Kelce’s two receptions that helped ice the Week 16 win against the Seahawks? Become a paid subscriber for access to exclusive content.
10 things that stood out from Chiefs’ decisive win vs. Seahawks:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel gives you 10 things that stood out to him from the Kansas City Chiefs' decisive win over the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve.
Transactions:
12/27 - Released from practice squad - RB/WR Jerrion Ealy (Read more here)
KCSN x Holladay Distillery Week 18 watch party:
Want to take in a Chiefs game with members of KCSN? We will be hosting a watch party at Holladay Distillery in Weston, Missouri for the season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Jan. 9. Spots are limited, so be sure to RSVP to attend here.
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel catches up with The Athletic's Nate Taylor to ask him his 5 Burning Questions following the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Quotable:
“The cheeseburger was great. It was fresh and one of the better ones I’ve had – a great Christmas present. And then yesterday I got to hang out with the family. I gave the coaches the day off and the players, obviously, the day off. That was one of the advantages of having a Saturday game, you know having Christmas off. You don’t get very many of those as a coach or a player, so it was great to have it.” - Andy Reid on his postgame Christmas gift
“Yeah, so it was good to get Blake (Bell) back in and work. He didn’t have a ton of snaps, but he had enough to help. And Danny (Shelton) I thought was kind of in that same situation, not a ton of snaps, but he did a nice job when called on. Can I tell what’s going (to happen)? No. You’ll get Khalen Saunders back, and so how does that fit with Danny’s situation? Blake, he’ll probably still be in the rotation there. But Danny, I can’t tell you how that will go for him, but we sure are glad to have him. He’s a great kid and a good football player.” - Andy Reid on Danny Shelton and Blake Bell
Quick Hits:
From Mitchell Schwartz: Former Texans and current Cardinals EDGE J.J. Watt tweeted out that he was calling it a career after the 2022 NFL season. Schwartz faced off with Watt quite a few times during his days in Kansas City and shared his take on the soon-to-be-retired defender.
From 2017: Brazillian NFL journalist Wendell Ferreira shared a wild fact on Tuesday. Outside of the 49ers, each of the nine teams that passed on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft has either fired their head coach or general manager (or both). Technically a 10th team — the Buffalo Bills — passed on Mahomes too. They’ve not fired either Sean McDermott or Brandon Beane.
From BJ: Speaking of Mahomes, KCSN’s BJ Kissel shared some statistical nuggets via the Chiefs’ public relations staff. It’s just another reminder of the special things that we’re witnessing from Patrick Mahomes on a weekly basis.
Important dates ahead:
Sunday, Jan. 1 at Noon CT - Week 17: Chiefs vs. Broncos - GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri
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I hope the defense continues to play well and that last week wasn't just a mirage.