Chiefs Film Room: It’s a pick party!

Interception #5

Cause: Derrick Johnson – The Ageless Wonder

How often can you say that a GM made a smart move by giving a 32-year old linebacker a multi-year extension? Because I’m fairly confident we’ll be saying that about John Dorsey extending DJ this past offseason.

Pre-snap, we see him line up between the DE and OLB at the top of the screen, looking like he’s bringing the heat. Ball’s snapped and it turns out he has man responsibility on the running back, who’s running a wheel-route. Not only that, but the Jets have the WR on that side set a pick for good measure.

So what does DJ do? Oh nothing, except slip by the blatant WR pick, close the gap on the RB, and get his head turned around so he can see the ball coming right at him. It was just another day at the office for the Chiefs all-time leading tackler. Oh, and he also took it all the way back for six to officially ice the game – no biggie.

Last Sunday we saw it all from the Chiefs defense: pressure forcing bad throws, tight coverage across the board, and playmakers making plays. We knew from the outset of the season that this unit was going to take its lumps. But seeing them put together a dominating performance this early in the season is incredibly encouraging.

And with the Steelers up next, there’s no better opportunity for this defense to solidify the fact that our preseason skepticism was unfounded.