Expectations for the Kansas City Chiefs Starters

Aug 17, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke (40) prays at the goal post during warm ups before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

While I am definitely an offensive-minded guy, it’s hard to not get excited about this Chiefs defense. While the second half of the season and the wild card game left a lot to be desired, the talent level of the defense is through the roof.

For our D-line, I expect to see more plays in the backfield. Even if the lineman don’t make the play, just being in the backfield is a huge disruptive force, and the defensive line has the explosiveness to make it happen. Also, look for Sutton to use a few more schemes Saturday, resulting in the line to cause even more havoc with the opposing blocking scheme.

For our linebackers, the focus is constantly on the ones on the outside. Week in and week out, Tamba and Justin are looked towards to lead the way for our defense by getting to the quarterback. With the pickup of Dee Ford, even more interest has been placed on the outside linebacker position. Their expectation is a simple one this week: get to the quarterback. When our defense was at its best, we were constantly attacking the quarterback and bringing in multiple sacks a game. I expect all three of our outside backers to get after the quarterback, with at the very least one sack between the three of them.

Now, perhaps more important is our inside linebacker situation. While Derrick Johnson has been a consistent prescence for years now, his partner has been a variety of different players. With or without Adrian Peterson in the game, our inside linebacking core has to do a great job of stuffing the run, and being in on every play. When we played against Kuechly, it seemed as if he was all over the field on every play. Although that is a lofty expectation to live up to, our inside linebackers at least need be involved on most plays.

Finally, the secondary. Everyone has their own opinions about the secondary, and it has been one of the most talked about topics all summer. Expectations for the secondary could be a whole article in and of itself, my main expectation is simple: If you’re going to get beat, don’t get burned. Too many times we’ve seen our secondary get absolutely torched against teams. Out of nowhere, we will suddenly give up a huge play without much work from the offense. I understand that people will get beat, especially in the secondary with the new contact rules. However, when they do get beat this next game, they need to be able to limit yards after the catch, and to be able to make those big plays something the offense has to earn, not just fall in to.

There you have it Addicts. Any thoughts on the upcoming game? How about those Royals, huh? Leave a comment below and as always, Go Chiefs!