New York Giants Week 3: A Look at the Kansas City Chiefs Defense

The New York Giants offense will face a Kansas City Chiefs defense led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was the Giants' defensive coordinator for their Super Bowl XLII victory over the New England Patriots. What might he have in store for Big Blue Sunday night?

Personnel

Chris Jones remains the top player for the Chiefs' defensive line, despite a slow start, which isn't surprising given the competition he faced in his first two games.

Jones has just four pressures so far, four fewer than the Chiefs' leader through two games in George Karlaftis.

That production difference can best be explained by the emphasis that NFL offenses are putting on protecting the interior of the line, as Giants fans have seen with Dexter Lawrence’s lack of production as well.

The other defensive linemen who are going to rotate in are Charles Omenihu, Derek Nnadi, Mike Danna, Jerry Tillery, and Ashton Gillotte.

None of them are really splash players, but they’re all going to rotate frequently to keep fresh legs as support players.

On the second level, Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill will handle the majority of snaps, with Leo Chenal coming in for base formations or to occasionally rotate in.

Bolton has played every defensive snap so far this season, one of three players on the Chiefs to accomplish that.

In 2025, Bolton has been off to an awful start, allowing completions short over the middle and missing tackles.

Tranquill has been a menace as a pass-rusher so far, while also being one of the best run defenders on the defense.

In the secondary, the outside cornerbacks are Trent McDuffie, who sometimes goes into the nickel, and Jaylen Watson, with Bryan Cook, Chamarri Conner, and Jaden Hicks filling out the safety room.

Conner has been playing all over the defensive formation, being used as a legitimate weapon for Spagnuolo to attack offenses in different ways.

McDuffie hasn’t been used in the slot nearly as much as he was in the past, when he was arguably the best nickel in the league.

Cook has been a bright spot so far, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Spagnuolo started to use him more creatively in a game like this one, where creativity should create chaos.

Scheme