Steve Spagnuolo says run defense issues boil down to the basics

Reporters asked Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator about the team’s concerns at run defense on Thursday, especially after Sunday’s home loss.

The problem isn’t being surprised by the fact that Kansas City Chiefs‘ opponents are running the ball down the throat of the team’s defense. Instead, the issue is that everyone in the stadium knows it’s going to happen and they give up the yards anyway.

The Chiefs have struggled to stop opponents from rushing the ball with great success five games into the new year. The Chiefs are currently ranked 31st (out of 32 NFL teams) in yards allowed per carry (5.3), just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. They’ve allowed the second-most rushing yards total (779), just short of the Cincinnati Bengals (838), who often have opponents run while trying to close out games against them.

Against the Chiefs, opponents aren’t trying to kill the game. Instead, they’re trying to disrupt an offense that is often firing on all cylinders and keep them on the sideline to control the clock.

While fans are tired of watching the likes of Marlon Mack impose their will on the defense, the problem really isn’t that great when you look at the bigger picture. The Chiefs are division leaders with a full game lead over the Oakland Raiders after five games. They were unbeaten until suffering their first loss at home, and even that was fraught with other concerns than just the run defense—injuries, penalties, an out-of-sync offense, etc.

Still, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that the Chiefs have to get better at stopping the run especially when they know that teams will continue to focus on that offensively until they can prove their ability to stop it.

“It’s everything,” said Spagnuolo when asked about what specifically is the issue. “Usually when that happens like that, it’s not one thing. You can’t put your finger on it. To us, we just go right back to the basics. It’s about defeating blocks, getting off blocks, and making tackles. That’s the run game. It’s overpopulating the ball, which I think we’ve done a good job of. I mean, it’s been an issue here and there. It’s been identified, so when we get out there, we try to hit them all.

“I know everybody’s looking for a specific reason. There’s no specific reason. And if there’s 20 plays in there that cause issues that are over 4 or 5 yard runs, there may be 20 different reasons. So you just keep playing but you do all the things you’re talking about. You get off blocks, you make tackles, you get to the football. That’s what you do.”

The Chiefs will now hope to get better without some key players in place, especially with the long-term loss of Xavier Williams to injured reserve and Chris Jones out for an extended period of time. Both men are defensive linemen and the losses there will make it difficult to play as well up front. Young players like Khalen Saunders will need to step up alongside the team’s newest signing in Terrell McClain to turn the tide.

Up next for the Chiefs is the dynamic passing offense of the Houston Texans led by an elite wide receiver trio and Deshaun Watson at quarterback. How much will they change their game plan to adjust to the Chiefs weakness? It’s hard to say but the Chiefs will have their hands full in any event.