Leo Chenal is Dictating What Offenses Can and Can't Do vs the Chiefs

How Leo Chenal has turned one of the Chiefs' biggest weaknesses into one of their biggest strengths.

Over the past 3 seasons Steve Spagnuolo has been one of - if not the best - defensive coordinators in football. His ability to scheme up different gameplans in high leverage situations that confuse even the best offensive minds is unmatched. Over the last two seasons, his week-by-week defense has improved drastically to the point of being the strength of this team. He’s been absolutely phenomenal in his time with the Chiefs but there has always been a way to get after a Spags’ defense.

Offenses have traditionally had success going into “heavy” personnel due to Spags’ tendency to play the run first. This means he matches with base - four defensive linemen and three linebackers - on the field at the same time. This was a major issue in the 2020 and 2021 seasons even as the Chiefs added better LB play. Last year during the Chiefs big defensive jump that way of thinking began to be challenged but ultimately still put the Chiefs’ defense in a weaker state with less defensive backs on the field.

That entire notion may be flipped on it’s head here in 2024 and a large part of the base defense turnaround for the Chiefs’ falls squarely at the feet, or into the chest of Leo Chenal. Chenal is third year LB out of Wisconsin who has seen a growth in usage each season, with 2024 set to be his biggest one yet given the loss of Willie Gay. The early returns on the gamble are paying off in a massive way as Leo Chenal has quickly become one of the most impactful linebackers in the NFL.. at least in his relatively narrow usage.

Leo Chenal Film Review

I want to start this with a very out of pocket take and then caveat it on the end. I’ve long believe that the only linebacker that matters - IE: you have to locate, properly account for, and it still might not matter on the play - in the NFL is Fred Warner. Other LBs are good or even great but don’t matter in that sense. Leo Chenal might be the second LB that matters in the NFL based on that criteria above… in the specific game script that activates his usage.

That last line is the key component here because Chenal is essentially a rotational, package player for the Chiefs. He’s only on the field in specific circumstances or personnel packages. The Chiefs’ are increasing those by using him as a defensive end or playing a 3-3-5 alignment at times but those aren’t the situations I’m referring to. Specifically when the Chiefs are in their base defense with Chenal on the field, he has to be located (his alignment changes often), he has to be properly accounted for (better not ask a wide out or tight end to take him one on one), and even if both one and two are accomplished, it may not matter.

Wrecking the Gameplan

These are the types of plays that completely change how offenses can operate and lean into a player truly mattering. The San Francisco 49ers are running a Zone Insert play - Inside Zone left blocking from the OL with the tight ends coming across to insert into the run - and Chenal is aligned to the left side. The center and the guard are supposed to combo block the defensive tackle and work up to Nick Bolton as the Mike LB (they would take if he drives downhill like he did). The lead pulling TE would then kick-out Chenal to theoretically open up a lane between the two blocks.

The issue is that Chenal wasn’t properly accounted for on this play. Not only was a tight end designed to block him but it was late in the rep which means Chenal gets to go on the attack. Before the pullers can even cross the formation, Chenal comes downhill and completely disrupts the left guard so much so that it completely blocks the path of the backside pullers. They get lost in the wash while Chenal uses the space he created off his disruption to shed the block and make the tackle in the backfield.