KC Faces a Murderous Lineup of Defensive Lines in 2025

Head Coach Andy Reid and Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy have designed an offense to both run and pass the ball with effective ease. Of course, the capabilities of the Chiefs' personnel are a factor, but so are the defensive lines that will gear up to attempt to neutralize KC's finest every single week of the 2025 NFL Season.

But just how good are the individual units on the schedule for the Chiefs? PFF recently published their rankings of the best units at certain positions. What are the notable units that QB Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense will need to prepare for?

PFF ranked Pittsburgh as the top defensive line in the league, but the Chiefs do not have the Steelers on the slate this season. However, they do battle with a whopping seven of the top ten. The highest-ranked and arguably the best of all of the defensive lines on the schedule for Kansas City is too familiar a foe recently, one that completely flummoxed the Chiefs the last time they faced off, and that's the Super Bowl Champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio's front line comes in at No. 2 in the rankings. The Chiefs host their Super Bowl rivals in Week 2.

"Philadelphia's defensive line was arguably the deepest in the league last season. As a result, even after the departures of Josh Sweat and Milton Williams in free agency, the unit remains one of the best in the NFL. On plays without a blitz in 2024, the Eagles generated pressure 36% of the time, which was the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Jalen Carter's 84.4 PFF pass-rush grade ranked fourth among interior defenders, and Moro Ojomo's 82.4 figure placed sixth at the position."

The very next week, the Chiefs travel to play the No. 3 team in the rankings on Sunday Night Football. It's a team that the Chiefs typically play only once every four years. The New York Giants have experienced marginal records over the past couple of years, but they have a nasty defensive front, and they stand to only get better with the pieces that they're bringing in.

"Arguably, no team has done more in the NFL to strengthen its defensive line and pass rush over the past couple of seasons than the Giants. They drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter with top-five picks in 2022 and 2025, respectively, and also traded for former first-rounder Brian Burns. The team's edge defender trio is complemented by perhaps the best nose tackle in the league. Although Dexter Lawrence’s 2024 season was cut short due to an injury, his 89.9 PFF overall grade still ranked third among interior defenders."

The No. 4-ranked team would be the Texans. Houston visits Missouri for another SNF affair in Week 14. The AFC South Champs, like the other teams in the top ten, are very stout up front.

 "The Texans might have the best edge defender duo in the NFL in veteran Danielle Hunter and third-year player Will Anderson Jr. Hunter’s 84.6 PFF overall grade ranked 12th among edge defenders last season, and Anderson's 87.8 mark slotted him in 10th. However, the Texans struggled on the interior, which may continue to be a problem area in 2025. Tim Settle was the team's highest-graded interior defender in 2024, yet his 58.6 PFF overall grade ranked just 58th at the position."

Rounding out the best defensive lines that the Chiefs confront this campaign are No. 5 Buffalo in Week 9, SNF vs Detroit at No. 6 in Week 6, Week 4 vs. No. 10 Baltimore at home, and twice against 8th-ranked Denver for a Rocky Mountain adventure in Week 11, and at home against those rivals Broncos on Christmas Night in Week 17.

As much as the Chiefs play a majority of the high-ranked teams in this category, KC only has two bottom-feeding fronts to fend off. KC travels to No. 29 Jacksonville in Week 5, and hosts No. 31 the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Ironically, both games are on Monday Night Football.

In 2024, the Chiefs ranked in the middle of the pack in both total yards and points per game, but they still managed to be a dominant force and win their conference's title. However, the team is healthier and possibly more potent for the 17 regular season games upcoming and beyond. They are going to have to be with a murderous lineup of defensive lines hellbent on stopping them.