Leo Chenal wrecked Detroit's run game and proved a brutal point

Many players delivered incredible individual performances for the Chiefs against the Detroit Lions. Some will be featured on highlight reels all week long, while others turned in impressive outings that will simply have to be cherished in a different light.

The meeting against the Detroit Lions created some discomfort. Kansas City was already in a must-win scenario. The Chiefs were facing a team that could overpower you to death. Detroit is perfectly comfortable being a run-heavy team. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were forced to increase their physicality in a matchup like that.

One Kansas City player who embodies that toughness and grit that the Lions emphasize is linebacker Leo Chenal. Chenal finished Sunday night with one of the most notable performances of his career. He tallied seven total tackles against Detroit.

Leo Chenal made a major difference by doing the dirty work against the Detroit Lions.

The run stops were a major sticking point in this one. In the early portion of the game, the Lions were having no issue moving the ball with their ground attack. Jahmyr Gibbs was squeezing through tight spaces and breaking multiple tackles. David Montgomery continued his strong running early on as well.

But as the game kept rolling, the Chiefs began to deconstruct blocks more consistently. Run stops were coming not far beyond the line of scrimmage.

Chenal was textbook with his tackling technique against Detroit. His ability to get low limited what the Lions' running backs could do after first contact. No more broken tackles materialized. Chenal simply stopped the running backs in their tracks.

That was not the only area in which Chenal stood out. In situations where the Chiefs brought extra blitzers toward Jared Goff, he reduced from his stand-up linebacker position to essentially a 3-technique on the defensive line. Chenal may not have registered a sack, though he was still able to displace blockers off their landmarks. Chenal blew offensive linemen back to help crunch the pocket.

Chenal was also effective in space. His range and angles helped to limit more yardage for Detroit on multiple instances. Chenal worked laterally to cut off openings on some outside run attempts. In other moments, the Chiefs' linebackers were effective in getting off blocks to immediately shut quick passes down near the perimeter.

The dirty work is something that Leo Chenal has always been exquisite at. Kansas City can put him in unique positions and trust him to cover ground that most defenders on the rest of the team are unable to do. His strength is good enough to overpower offensive linemen weighing over 300 pounds. Additionally, Chenal is still quick enough to catch almost any running back in traffic.

The Chiefs generally do not see many physical offenses that lean on the run game. Detroit is in a league of its own with its play style, regardless. But when Kansas City finds itself in tough, tight contests, Leo Chenal is a player they continuously lean on.