There is still hope for the defense
Kansas City’s defense has got off to a sluggish start this season, struggling in their first two games. But even so there is still some reason to believe that things will get better.
Early on, the numbers are not pretty. The Chiefs are worst in the league for total yards allowed (938) and rushing yards allowed (404), and 29th in points allowed (65). But one small crumb of comfort is that we are still yet to see this defense at full strength.
Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu both missed K.C.’s season opener against Cleveland, and Willie Gay is yet to make his season debut after being placed on Injured Reserve.
We already saw in Baltimore the impact Mathieu had in his return. The Honey Badger had two interceptions—one of which was a pick-six on just the third play of the game—as well as six tackles and three passes defended.
While Gay may not have the same immediate impact as Mathieu, Kansas City’s defense is no doubt better with him on the field.
The defense has certainly had a poor start to the season, but until we see them at full strength, it is worth holding off on full judgement for now. We’ve seen this team struggle on D early and still go on to achieve great things.