I wrote previously, somewhat against my better judgment, about four things that could derail the Chiefs' offense in 2023. So, while I'm at it, why don't I just dive into four things that could wreck the Chiefs' defense? What could it hurt, outside of wrecking my mental health for the next six months and creating a debilitating sense of football-induced paranoia that I (almost) certainly won't be able to shake until the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII?
These blogs are setting up nicely if you want to see me become a scapegoat for Chiefs Twitter in the event of a nuclear football apocalypse. If you do want to see that, then I apologize for whatever I did to you.
Coming into 2023 the Chiefs defense looks as young and full of possibilities as it has in years. The secondary that came into 2022 as a group of mostly unproven rookies looks to show progress in a sophomore campaign where players like Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Brian Cook figure to be prominant pieces to a deep playoff push. The linebacking corps is bolstered by the addition of veteran Swiss army knife Drue Tranquill, and the defensive line got a facelift with young pass rushers in Charles Omenihu and Felix Anudike-Uzoma. All looks good, right?
Well, I'm about to fill you in on what could (and might) go wrong with the Chiefs defense in 2023, and what kind of impact that can have on the season overall. Spoiler, many of these things are not good. It pains me to write this, but for every 14-3 or 15-2 prediction for the upcoming season that there is out there, we have to meet it with an appropriate level of "what if" skepticism. So here goes nothing.