Chiefs overreactions: Hot takes from Week 1 vs. the Cardinals

The defense is elite

Let’s be clear: the Cardinals scored 7 points on the Chiefs’ first defensive unit. By the time the two garbage time touchdowns were punched in by Arizona in the fourth quarter, many rotational pieces and/or backups had entered the chat for Steve Spagnuolo’s group.

Much of the concern coming into the season was that the Chiefs’ influx of youth on the defensive side of the ball would lead to confusion early in the season, especially against a dynamic offense like Arizona’s led by a dual-threat quarterback like Kyler Murray. Nope!

The Chiefs’ defense came out swinging and forced Arizona into 5 punts and a turnover on downs in their first 7 possessions. The Cardinals gained a total of 122 yards on those first 7 possessions. George Karlaftis appeared to be fierce on the pass rush, Trent McDuffie (before coming out with a hamstring injury) gave the Cardinals battered receiving corps nothing on the outside, and veterans like L’Jarius Sneed and Chris Jones continued to do Sneed and Jones things. Sneed’s sack against Kyler Murray on their opening drive set the tone for what would be a frustrating day for the Cardinals’ newly paid signal caller.

It’s tough to quantify the main difference that we saw yesterday from this unit, but the biggest thing I saw on the screen was the speed with which they played. Nick Bolton looks faster in 32 and was making plays all day long. Willie Gay is a true sideline-to-sideline defender at the other linebacker position. Justin Reid is the greatest athlete on the planet not just at safety, but at bombing extra points and kickoffs. Overall, the defense just looked more athletic and crisper than previous iterations, and it’s cause for excitement.