Bob Sutton crucial to Chiefs’ victory
It was the final drive of the Thursday night divisional matchup against the Denver Broncos. The Kansas City Chiefs had managed to commit four turnovers, play poorly on offense and still be leading by a touchdown. Unfortunately, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton had already reverted to a prevent defense.
Peyton Manning was able to exploit the Chiefs’ secondary on underneath routes repeatedly with Emmanuel Sanders open on single third down, and the size of Demaryius Thomas caused problems as a possession receiver. Sutton and his defense had the opportunity to win this match. They weren’t able to deliver at the most vital of times.
In the first half, the Chiefs’ defense was nothing short of excellent. The defensive front showed their class with consistent penetration. Jaye Howard was phenomenal, and Justin Houston did what Justin Houston does as the best outside linebacker in football. Marcus Peters showed further evidence of why he is the best corner in this year’s rookie class, and safety Eric Berry looked as if he was returning back to his best form after miraculously recovering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
What was particularly pleasing in the first half was the run defense. The return from injury of Mike DeVito and Derrick Johnson has clearly impacted the Chiefs’ run defense. Last season, Sutton’s defense were ranked 28th in the run, allowing an average of 127.2 yards per game. A stat that is even more telling is the 4.7 yards per attempt, good for third-worst in the league. Compare that to this year, where the Chiefs sit eighth in the league with 79.5 yards per game, and it is easy to see the improvement.
Disappointingly, Sutton changed the attitude of his defense as Kansas City took the lead. Sutton became conservative, turning away from his preferred aggressive bump-and-run coverage. He dialed up less blitzes in the second half, and played more nickel and dime packages in an attempt to contain Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense. The key issue with such a tactic is that with a four-man rush, it is difficult to pressure the quarterback. When a quarterback of Manning’s quality, even an aging Manning with a weak arm, is not put under pressure, you are asking for trouble.
Manning managed to exploit the major weakness in the Chiefs’ secondary; Jamell Fleming. With flashbacks of Manning exploiting Marcus Cooper from previous matchups, Sutton continued to persevere with a prevent defense. With Fleming often covering Thomas or Sanders on an island, with little if any help from the safety, Manning was allowed to target him. If Fleming is asked to cover Randall Cobb on Monday Night Football, Rodgers will, like Manning, abuse such a tactic all night long.
For the Chiefs to be victorious on Monday, the secondary must improve from their performance late in the game against Denver. Without starting cornerback Sean Smith, the difficult challenge of facing Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field falls to Peters, second-year man Philip Gaines and the aforementioned Fleming. A repeat defensive meltdown is not an option if Kansas City have any aspirations of moving to 2-1.
This is why Sutton is so crucial to the success of this team. If the Chiefs find themselves in the lead, Sutton must not revert from his aggressive style of defense. It suits the players, especially in the secondary, to dial up expansive blitzes, play bump-and-run coverage. Not allowing the Chiefs’ defense to not let up will be vital on Monday night. Unfortunately, this was a major factor in the loss to Denver in Week 2. Hopefully Sutton will be able to keep the defense aggressive in all four quarters.
So, what do you think, Addicts? Were you disappointed with Sutton letting his foot off the gas last week against Denver? Could you see the same issue this week against Green Bay, and are you as worried at Rodgers vs. Fleming as I am? Let me know in the comments and as always… GO CHIEFS!!!