KC Chiefs: Reasons to believe Kansas City will be all right

Improvement from the defense

Kansas City’s defense has left a lot to be desired so far this season, but they showed some—albeit small—signs of improvement against the Chargers.

Heading into Week 3, the Chiefs were last in the league in both total yards and points allowed and had the league’s worst run defense. And while things were far from perfect against LA, there were some signs of progress.

The Chiefs had allowed 153 and 251 yards rushing in their first two games but gave up just 77 yards on the ground against the Chargers and 3.5 yards per carry—both new lows for the season. Overall, K.C. allowed 352 total yards, again their lowest total of the season so far.

Things initially got off to a good start for the defense, with the Chargers forced to punt on their first two possessions. 21 of LA’s 30 points came after turnovers too, with the Chargers gifted great field position on each of those drives.

In another small win, Kansas City finally managed to get their first red zone stop of the season. However, they still struggled to keep the ball out of the end zone, allowing touchdowns on four out of five red zone trips.

There are certainly still problems that need to be answered. The defensive line again struggled to generate pressure, K.C. must get better in the red zone, and the Chargers were able to score on five of their last seven possessions.

But after two weeks of getting battered, we at least saw some signs of optimism that the defense can turn things around.