KC Chiefs: Three prospects who should be playing on defense
By Matt Conner
No one is quite ready to overreact or even react to three games played for the K.C. Chiefs.
The team that was the clear favorite to emerge in the AFC and play in another Super Bowl for the third consecutive year is somehow leaned against the ropes in its own division, with an upside-down AFC West with the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders up top. The Chiefs are already two games behind after Week 3
Still it’s early so the majority of Chiefs Kingdom should still feel relatively reasonable. No coaches need to be fired, and no one even needs to draw a lot of definitive conclusions.
That said, there is something clearly wrong on the team and that’s on defense. There are multiple players who are getting plenty of playing time and meaningful reps who are very clearly outmatched in terms of physical talent on the field. This is a real problem.
The reason the New England Patriots could stay as good as long as they did went beyond having Tom Brady at quarterback. It also meant that Bill Belichick was adept at feeling out the usefulness of a player and then striking early to make sure that player did not hit the wall on their dime.
Somehow these Chiefs have timed things incorrectly. Instead of watching players slowly come out of their prime, a few defenders have hit the wall outright. Instead of replacing them, the Chiefs have some defenders who continue to play over their heads as their physical skill sets. The end result is a slower, less impactful and inefficient defense.
Let’s take a look at some switches we’d love to see made to allow developmental players the chance to grow on the fly.