Flipped Script: Chiefs Defense Leads The Way Over Seahawks

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The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business on Christmas Eve, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 24-10. It was a day in which Patrick Mahomes was responsible for all of the Chiefs’ offensive touchdowns. Yet, it was the Kansas City defense who controlled the game.

It was a nice change of pace for the AFC West division champions. As a result of the defense’s performance, we will largely focus on what led to their success in today’s FPC Chiefs reaction article. We will also briefly touch on the items that stood out from Mahomes’ performance. How were the Chiefs able to corral the Seahawks? Let’s kick it off.

Pressure Is Paramount

The Kansas City Chiefs have been much more dangerous as a pass rush this season. That was felt heavily by Geno Smith on Saturday afternoon. Kansas City notched two sacks on the day, one apiece for George Karlaftis and Chris Jones. That gives the Chiefs pass rush 45 total sacks on the season. That is already 14 more sacks than what they finished with last season. Furthermore, that figure of 45 sacks ties the most sacks that they have had under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, which occurred in 2019.

Outside of the sacks, the Chiefs were generating pressure all day long. They got it from other defensive linemen like Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap. They also generated pressure from members of the back seven. In total, Kansas City had seven quarterback hits on the day. All told, this may feel like the best performance from the pass rush this season. It is important to remember that this group has seen many of its top players have career-best type of seasons. Obviously, that is saying something, given the name value of this defensive line. If the Chiefs can continue to bring the heat like they did against Seattle, they can beat almost any team in the league.

Fundamentally Sound

It may seem simple or cliche to say, but the Chiefs turned the corner with their fundamentals on defense. In this game against the Seahawks, you saw them maintain gap integrity against the run, for the most part. Kansas City also finished with little to no missed tackles, to boot. You saw them stay on top of routes in the passing game, while rallying with pride to the football in all moments.

Simply put, there has to be a sense of pride and effort that is shown every week by the defense. Coming off of their showing in Houston, this was the exact type of bounce back that the Chiefs were looking for. Kansas City’s defense had a good start to the season, due in large part to their edge and energy that they brought to the table. That appeared to be missing for the better part of the last month. At this time of the year, the fundamentals have to be airtight. That tenacious edge, energy and attitude must also be present at all times, if the Chiefs want to complete their ultimate goal of winning another Super Bowl title.

KC’s Youth Shines

While the veteran leaders did their job, it was an especially encouraging day for the younger players on the Chiefs roster. Seattle was forced to continuously match the jolt that Isiah Pacheco offers from snap to snap. Defensively, the Chiefs saw many rookies shine. The aforementioned Karlaftis was relentless, per usual. He was able to affect the Seahawks offense as a pass rusher and run defender, while also batting down passes at the line of scrimmage.

Meanwhile, defensive backs like Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook all flashed here and there. None of those names were perfect. Yet, they executed their jobs well and gave the Chiefs a boost by doing the little things, in order to get off the field. Should that continue from the rookie defenders, Kansas City should be just fine in the upcoming postseason.

Small, But Safe

It was not a monster day for Mahomes, from a numbers standpoint. Nonetheless, he made a lot of smart, safe decisions. You could argue that the Kansas City signal caller should have actually had a bigger day with his production. Overall, the Chiefs struggled to catch the ball in a frigid environment. Kansas City dropped multiple passes that hit the pass catchers right in their hands.

Despite all of that, Mahomes did well on taking what was given to him underneath. He also kept the ball out of harm’s way, eliminating any short fields for the Seattle offense. On the other hand, the Chiefs were able to benefit from the legs of Mahomes. He rushed for a touchdown on a play that looked to be all but dead. Moreover, his pocket awareness kept him clean from taking possible hard hits or sacks. The production will eventually go back up. But mostly, it was a clean and safe performance by Mahomes against the Seahawks.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this upcoming week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.