Just like everyone expected a few months ago, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense is likely the team's best unit entering the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Due to some inconsistent play on offense, this is partially by default. With that said, Steve Spagnuolo's group is genuinely playing inspired football this season and has emerged as one of the top three-to-five defenses in the sport. It's a championship-caliber lot and has been so since the 2023-24 campaign began back in September.
With a Sunday showdown against the Buffalo Bills approaching, the elimination game brings plenty of pressure. Spagnuolo's defense has done nothing but step up to the plate all year and deliver, something that Bills head coach Sean McDermott is well aware of. Having coached on the same team as Spagnuolo in the past, he tipped his cap to his former coworker for the job he's doing this season.
"Yeah, Steve, we worked together for a number of years with Andy (Reid) in Philadelphia there," McDermott said. "He's done a great job with his career, and he's taking a lot from Jim Johnson's pressure schemes and made them his own and put his own signature on it. He likes to give the offense a lot of different looks, a lot of different fronts, a lot of different pressure looks. He does a great job scheming. Then they have some exceptional players, namely 95 (Chris Jones) up front, who creates a lot of pressure on his own. Great scheme, some great players, and it'll be a big challenge for us."
Buffalo, who is allegedly on track prep-wise despite having played its Wild Card game on Monday, knows firsthand how good this Kansas City defense is. The 20 points the Bills scored back in Week 14's meeting at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium was their lowest total coming out of the bye week. In the second half of that December 10 matchup, Spagnuolo and company held a high-powered offense to just six points and 121 net yards. The Bills averaged a measly 3.6 yards per play and went 3-for-8 on third down in that half. Omitting a drive when the game was all but over, their second-half possessions ended in a field goal, three consecutive punts and another kick.
During the regular season, the Chiefs ranked among the best defenses in the league in a multitude of statistical benchmarks. In Saturday's Wild Card victory over the Miami Dolphins, they held Mike McDaniel's elite attack to 4.5 yards per play and 264 total yards. In the second half, the Dolphins were much worse. Outside of a Tyreek Hill touchdown, Miami couldn't get anything going and was bounced from the postseason because of it.
Of course, this Bills offense is no slouch either. It ranked sixth in points per drive and fifth in yards per drive during the regular season. Allen is probably either the second-best or third-best signal-caller in football. He has a wide variety of pass-catching options to work with too. Spagnuolo's defense will undoubtedly be put to the test. On the other hand, that's been the case countless other times this season. Virtually every test was passed with flying colors. Will Sunday be another instance of that? McDermott, understanding the context, hopes not.
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