The Chiefs are headed to the AFC title game with a new identity

KANSAS CITY LEADERS Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed approached defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo during the offseason with a simple request. Instead of bouncing him between the slot and outside coverage, as he did in 2022, how about allowing him to shadow the opposing best receiver each week?

Spagnuolo did not give Sneed an immediate response. But the more he thought about the idea, the more it made sense.

The Chiefs had been burned by some big receiving games in 2022, with Sneed frequently missing from the action. They had the opportunity to cover the slots of their other starting cornerback, Trent McDuffie, so Spagnuolo figured why not give it a try.

The experiment worked. There are several reasons why the Chiefs finished the regular season with the second-fewest points (17.3) and yards per game (289.8), and Sneed's work is at the top of the list.

“The thing about LJ is he likes challenges, he wants to compete against the best,” Spagnuolo said. “That's why we do it. When you have a guy like that, when you have confidence that you can put him among their best guys, I think the other 10 guys rally around him.”

Sneed is part of a defense that has helped the Chiefs create a new identity during a season filled with offensive struggles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is having the worst statistical season of his career, and wide receivers lead the NFL in dropped passes. But the Chiefs will play their sixth straight AFC Championship Game on Sunday (first time on the road), largely because of their defense, which could face its toughest challenge yet against MVP favorite Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (3 p.m.). ET, CBS).

“I really wouldn't want to play [against] our defense,” Mahomes said. “You have depth, guys rotate, can do everything and then you have Spags with the plan. All the guys are so well coached in the program that they use it to their advantage, and you never know where they are at. »

THE DEFENSIVE RESURGENCE began last season, when the Chiefs' primary free agent signing was safety Justin Reid. They traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for a package of draft picks, including Miami's first pick, which gave the Chiefs two first-round picks.

They used both defensive players: McDuffie, who was a first-team All-Pro selection this year, and defensive end George Karlaftis, tied with Chris Jones for the team lead with 10.5 sacks.

The Chiefs could have spent free agent money this season on a veteran receiver like Odell Beckham Jr., DeAndre Hopkins or JuJu Smith-Schuster or continued to try to bolster their defense. They were banking on the development of their young receivers, which, aside from Rashee Rice, hasn't happened.

But the money they spent on defense was a wise investment. They signed defensive end Charles Omenihu, linebacker Drue Tranquill and safety Mike Edwards and enjoyed significant contributions from all three.

Omenihu was third on the team in sacks with seven despite missing six games with an NFL suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Tranquill started eight regular season games, played frequently in the others and had 4.5 sacks. Edwards became a starter late in the season when the Chiefs lost Bryan Cook to injury, but even before that he contributed to several key plays, like his fumble recovery that led to the game-clinching touchdown on a Week 9 win over the Dolphins.

“If you could count on that every year in free agency, wouldn’t that make a huge difference?” Spagnuolo said. “What they did in intervening, I think, speaks volumes about their importance.”

Of the Chiefs' top 21 players in terms of snap count, 17 were either drafted by the Chiefs or signed by them as rookie free agents. The average age of the Chiefs defensive players is 25.4, the youngest in the league.

“Sneed can play inside [and] outside, McDuffie can play inside [and] On the outside, all linebackers can guard and make tackles. That's why in training camp I was like, 'Man, I'm glad I don't have to face those guys, because it would be tough,'” Mahomes said.

Coming into the season, the Chiefs were hopeful about the direction their defense could take, but not as sure as Mahomes. Jones, the Chiefs' sack leader in each of the previous five seasons, held out, Omenihu was suspended and Spagnuolo was concerned enough at the time to warn that the Chiefs might not be ready.

“A lot of pieces are moving right now,” Spagnuolo said shortly before the start of the season. “Sometimes it takes the first quarter of the season to figure out who you are and what you have. Along the way, you hope to win games, but it might take us a little while to figure all that out.”

It didn't take much time. The Chiefs allowed 14 offensive points in the opener to the Detroit Lions, who finished fifth in scoring, then controlled the game defensively the following week against Jacksonville, holding the Jaguars without a touchdown despite three trips inside. the red zone.

Reid said the Chiefs' defensive success began late last season.

“We had five recruits last year,” Reid said. “There's a lot of youth on the field. We still have one of the youngest defenses in the league. But we're a year in the system. We have a lot of trust in each other, and that knowledge, this alchemy of last year., play until February entered [play] for us this season.

“It's just about building from that, not starting over but continuing to elevate. Then we got some free agent signings that came in and helped us as well.”

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THE VERSATILITY OF THE PLAYERS been a key for the Chiefs. Their linemen are often lined up in different spots from snap to snap to allow for more favorable matchups. This helped the Chiefs finish the season ranked second in the league in sacks. Jones played primarily as a tackle, but had five of his sacks from an edge position.

The Chiefs also have interchangeable pieces in their secondary. They often attacked defensive backs by moving players into coverage.

“No other coordinator in the league will give you as much volume as Steve gives players every week,” defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said. “It’s constantly evolving. It’s fluid.

“I told the kids: 'You will never play in another system as difficult as this. It doesn't matter where you go from now on, if you find another coordinator who puts more at your service in terms of technique . [and] In terms of coverage…be sure to call me and I'll pay you a hundred dollars.'”

The Chiefs also play a lot of man-to-man coverage, mainly due to the skills of McDuffie and Sneed. They played 35% man coverage during the regular season, seventh in the league, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

“We have to do what our guys do best, and one of the things our defensive backs do best is press coverage,” Merritt said. “Zone allows you to see the quarterback, see route concepts and make breaks on the ball. You will have more interceptions if you play zone.

“When you're up there, rushing in front of a guy and running with your back to the ball, you're not going to get as many touches on the football. But yet, that skill set disrupts the timing of quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Sneed was tasked with covering the opposing top receiver for most of the season; the list includes Hill twice, Justin Jefferson, Garrett Wilson, AJ Brown and Ja'Marr Chase, among others.

Only Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12 caught at least three passes and totaled 50 yards, with Sneed the closest player in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats.

“When you have a DB like that who can just go cover his best receivers, it makes it easier for the rest of us,” McDuffie said.

Sneed did not seem impressed with his season, saying, “I still have work to do. I still have something to prove.”

Leaders know otherwise.

“LJ being able to go against an elite receiver, it allows you to do a lot of different things,” Merritt said. “He's probably, if not the best press corner in the league, he should be considered a top two. And I don't see him as a No. 2.

“If I was a defensive coordinator, he's one of the first guys I'm going to grab because he's probably one of the most complete corners I've ever been around in my building as far as tackling . as well as the covers.

The Chiefs weren't the only ones enjoying Sneed's season. Although he was not initially voted to the Pro Bowl team or All-Pro units, Sneed received a special invitation from AFC Pro Bowl coach Peyton Manning.

“He should have made it,” Manning said.