Seven Reasons To Believe In The Kansas City Chiefs
Nov 16, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Christine Michael (33) is stopped by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jaye Howard (96) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Reason 4: The Run Defense Steps Up When It Has To
The Chiefs overall run defense numbers aren’t anything to get too excited about. However, the Chiefs have shown the ability to stop the run when needed. The Chiefs are actually giving up 124.4 rushing yards per game, which is 25th in the league. Their yards per carry allowed is actually even worse. They rank 31st in that area with an unimpressive 4.8 yards per carry allowed. So given those numbers, why would I possibly include the run defense on this list of reasons to believe in this team?
Well, I believe that those numbers don’t tell the whole story. There are two numbers that I would point to in order to back up this belief. First off, the Chiefs are currently ranked third in the NFL in defensive third-down conversion rate. The Chiefs defense is only allowing opposing offenses to convert third downs 35 percent of the time. If opposing offenses could truly get 4.8 yards per carry any time they wanted, that percentage would be much higher. Second, the Chiefs have yet to allow a single rushing touchdown on the season. They are the only team in the NFL to be able to say that.
What both of those numbers point to is the fact that KC’s poor run defense numbers are partially due to a conscious choice that the Chiefs are making schematically and when they sell out to stop the run, they actually do a very good job of it. Do I wish that the Chiefs did a better job of stopping the run out of their base formation? Of course, but the fact that they have proven on multiple occasions that they can do it when the stakes are highest, makes me feel much better. The Chiefs defensive schemes and play calling have been masterful (more on that in a minute) and are putting this defense in position to be successful.
Next: Click here to see why you should believe in the pass defense.