The Kansas City Chiefs boast one of the better defenses in the league, once again. It is a group that has stood tall in the red zone, further operating under the bend-don't-break mentality. And through their first nine games, the Chiefs are 5th in the NFL in scoring defenses. Steve Spagnuolo's group has been able to change momentum in numerous spots this season. But on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, one specific part of the unit will arguably be facing their toughest test of the year so far.
That would be the Chiefs linebackers. The duo of Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill will have their work cut out for them in space. Obviously, versatile piece Leo Chenal can wear many different hats for the Kansas City defensive unit. But on Sunday, Chenal will likely even be thrust into some split decisions, based on how Buffalo's offense can attack.
How could the Bills put these Chiefs linebackers in a bind? What element will be worth watching with an opposing quarterback like Josh Allen? It will be fascinating to see how Kansas City's linebackers respond if pushed to the limit on Sunday.
Josh Allen's Adjustments As A Passer
Josh Allen has grown into one of Patrick Mahomes' greatest challengers. His performances against Mahomes and Kansas City have been stellar in the regular season. At this point, he is still missing that elusive playoff victory against the Chiefs. From those prior meetings, Kansas City knows that Allen has generally loved to live with explosive attempts down the field. He has not been afraid to pull the trigger, even if some head-scratching turnovers popped up in past years.
However, Allen has quietly made some adjustments as a passer this season. Part of that may be due to the fact that Buffalo has a reconfigured wide receiver room in 2024. Either way, Allen is taking what is given to him underneath more often. This has led to a quicker release, as well as his turnovers going down. That does not include his percentage of turnover worthy plays. But if you look at where his numbers rank, compared to the rest of his career seasons, Allen is producing in ways we have not completely seen before.
Via CBS Sports, Allen's average pass length of 7.7 yards is the shortest he has ever produced. His average time to throw after the snap is also a new career fastest mark (2.84 seconds). Meanwhile, Allen's 0.6 turnovers per game are also the fewest he has produced. When he is in a groove, Allen is able to get the ball off instantly.
Balance Under Joe Brady
It has been a full calendar year since the Bills fired Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator and replaced him with Joe Brady. Buffalo was not a complete trainwreck before Brady took over. Though, some differences in the schematic approach have helped Buffalo keep opposing defenses guessing and on their heels.
A major difference was the added balance that the Bills incorporated after turning to Brady as offensive coordinator. James Cook was also relied upon much later last season after the coaching change. That has led to Cook having a solid year from start to finish this season. Overall, Cook received 120 carries and 12 rushes per game under Dorsey in 10 games in 2023. After Brady took over, Cook received 153 carries and 17 rushes per game in nine games, including playoffs, to end last season.
If you look at the run and pass ratios so far in 2024, the Bills are throwing it 52.2 percent of the time, while running at a 47.8 percent clip. Buffalo is now fine with playing complementary football, rather than forcing Allen to act like superman on every rep. As for how that could impact the Chiefs linebackers, Kansas City will be facing an attack that is able to sustain long drives. Those defenders on the second level will also battle against arguably the most physical group of blockers that they have seen all season.
Which Defender Fills Specialized Role Against Allen?
There is one specific element that must be considered when facing a quarterback like Allen. How often are you going to spy him and which player is filling that role? We know that Allen will not hesitate to tuck it and run, willing to run through defenders in the process. What makes the spy role interesting, is Willie Gay was usually trusted for that role in prior seasons. For the first time against Allen after Gay departed in free agency, figuring out who could best thrive in that role is intriguing.
If it is a linebacker, do you let Chenal roam around the defensive formation? He is used to playing in different alignments already. And compared to Bolton and Tranquill, the lateral quickness is something that Chenal can rely on throughout the duration of the game. If it is Bolton or Tranquill spying at any moment, their instincts and reactionary quickness will be crucial. Perhaps, Spagnuolo even takes some chances with Justin Reid spying as a safety and coming down to the line of scrimmage. Whichever defender is trusted in that spot, the Chiefs will learn a lot for a possible playoff rematch down the line.
Communication Will Be Vital
The Chiefs have had some miscommunication this season when defending passes in the middle of the field. Bolton and Tranquill were caught in no man's land last week on a touchdown pass by the Denver Broncos. Bolton passed off the pass catcher that made the play. It appeared that he was thinking someone else would switch and match up with Devaughn Vele. On the same rep, Tranquill traveled with the running back coming out of the backfield, even though there were already two defensive backs on that side of the field.
With how many different pieces can make catches over the middle for Buffalo, being on the same page will be vital for the Chiefs linebackers. The Bills are perfectly fine with throwing underneath and attempting to gain more yards after the catch. If Kansas City gets caught out of position like other times this season, the Bills are going to have plenty of chances to turn simple plays into explosive gains.