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Bob Sutton fired as defensive coordinator of Kansas City Chiefs

By Matt Conner

GLENDALE, AZ - AUGUST 15: Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton of the Kansas City Chiefs on the sidelines during the pre-season NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 15, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chiefs defeated the Cardinals 34-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - AUGUST 15: Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton of the Kansas City Chiefs on the sidelines during the pre-season NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 15, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chiefs defeated the Cardinals 34-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Kansas City Chiefs have fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton just two days after the team lost the AFC Championship game to the New England Patriots.

The Kansas City Chiefs got right to work on evaluating and making moves to the franchise for the hopes of bettering the roster and coaching staff for 2019 with the news that Bob Sutton had been let go from his post as defensive coordinator on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after the team lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Conference Championship.

Sutton has been the Chiefs defensive coordinator since 2013, when Andy Reid first arrived as the team’s head coach. Reid hired Sutton away from the New York Jets where he’d served as assistant head coach as well as the team’s linebackers coach.

Sutton has been on the hot seat for quite some time, and it was a surprise to many that he would even return for this last season after the Chiefs had put up such abysmal defensive numbers in 2018. The Chiefs finished last season at No. 28 overall in most yards allowed and followed that up with an even worse season at 31st overall. Sutton’s penchant for bend-but-don’t-break defenses depended on creating turnovers to win games. While the results looked solid in 2014-15, Sutton’s two best seasons with K.C., it was an overall failure that often set back an impressive offense.

This season took the cake, however, when the Chiefs found new ways to lose time and again even with a record-setting offense. The Chiefs put up 50 points on the L.A. Rams in primetime on the road and somehow lost the game (the only team in NFL history to put up so many points and still lose, by the way). Similar results could be seen in painful regular season losses to the Seahawks and Chargers, but nothing stung as much as watching the Patriots march all the way down the field in overtime on Sunday to win the game.

For now, there’s no obvious candidate who will fill in, but the Chiefs are clearing the way for a new mindset on the defensive side of the ball. It will be interesting to see who else might be given the boot on that side or what other coaching changes Reid has in mind, but the Chiefs are clearly ready to shore up the defense knowing they are Super Bowl ready on the offensive side.

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