Chiefs’ Lack Of Pass-Rush Due To More Coverage
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs sack numbers have been down as of late.
Through the beginning of the year, the Chiefs were all over the quarterback, and much of that had to do with the different blitzes and defenses that defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was drawing up.
The Chiefs have only been able to notch one sack in the past three games though, and the amount of blitzes that we’ve seen from the defense has been down as well.
When he addressed the media about the lack of pressure though, Sutton didn’t sound worried. He more so attributed it to the Chiefs playing more coverage now that quarterbacks know to get the ball out quicker.
“There is a realistic factor there. If he wants to throw it, it really doesn’t matter if five are coming, six are coming or four are coming. If he wants to get rid of the ball, he can do that,” Sutton explained.
“The more people we can put in coverage, the different ways we can affect who he can throw to. It’s a combination of those things.”
“One of the things we have wanted from the beginning is flexibility in our system. We don’t want to be a one-trick pony. We have to adjust every week to different quarterbacks, different systems – what they’re doing – and I think our players do a good job of it,” he said. “The system has flexibilities that allow us to do that.”
Sutton also believes that the home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium helps his defense, saying, “When you play at home and you have a crowd like we do, I think it’s a big advantage defensively, whether you’re Seattle or us.”
“Because the offense has to deal with the noise, the opponent’s defense doesn’t really have to deal with the noise if our crowd does it right. Anytime you’re at home, that’s an advantage to the pass rushers because it’s more difficult to use hard counts,” Sutton said. “All of those things – you’re talking little things – but end up being critical things for you. It’s an advantage, no question about it.”
This is good news for the Chiefs defense and perhaps we’ll see more success with the pass-rush considering that Kansas City’s next two games are at home.