Derrick Johnson’s most memorable moments with the Kansas City Chiefs

The Jalen Richard hit

Johnson was always known for his big hits, and there is a long list of them. We are in an era where we see a lot of illegal, helmet-to-helmet hits. However, Johnson was rarely seen delivering a dirty shot to a ball-carrier and always tackled the right way.

Perhaps Johnson’s most memorable hit came in 2016 in Week 6 after a bye week. The Chiefs were coming off a Week 4 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. They got rid of the bad taste in their mouths in Week 6 with a road win. After a 2-2 start to the season, the Chiefs went 10-2 the rest of the way, starting with a win over a big division rival in the Oakland Raiders.

With less than four minutes to go, the Raiders lined up to run a play on first-and-20 following a holding penalty on Donald Penn. The Raiders attempted a screen pass to then-rookie running back Jalen Richard. Johnson blew through Oakland’s offensive blockade with ease, almost unnoticed. But everyone noticed his big hit, laying out Richard behind the line of scrimmage.

The Chiefs went on to win 26-10, improving to 3-2 and eventually winning the AFC West at 12-4 for the first time since 2010.