Whoa, hold up. Daniel Jones played five full quarters against the Kansas City Chiefs without getting sacked? Yeah, you heard that right. After kicking off the season with a dominant performance, the Chiefs’ defense looked like a totally different squad last week, leaving everyone wondering what exactly is going on up front.
From Beast Mode to… Huh? What Happened to That Pass Rush?
The season opener against the Denver Broncos? Man, that was a clinic. Kansas City stomped all over them, a 31-10 beatdown where they bagged Bo Nix four times and caged the reigning AFC West champs to a measly 176 total yards. You thought the pass rush was gonna be an absolute nightmare for every opposing QB, right? Everyone did! But then, a week later, they found themselves in a 70-minute marathon, barely scraping by the Indianapolis Colts with a 33-30 overtime victory. Seventy minutes! The Colts rolled up 329 yards against them, and the most glaring stat of all: Daniel Jones, the Colts quarterback, played through five entire quarters without taking a single hit from that Chiefs pass rush. That’s a massive swing.
Cullen and Jones Know There’s Work to Do, But No Sacks? That’s Rough
Defensive line coach Joe Cullen wasn’t shy about crediting the Indianapolis offensive line. He called them a “physical offensive line” and noted they “always had a good offensive line.” He also pointed to mental errors, like defensive end George Karlaftis jumping offside on a third-and-11, which shortened the down and allowed quick passes. Cullen admitted that while they’ve had “consistent pressure,” it doesn’t always translate to sacks. He said the “coverage in the back end and the rush go hand in hand,” and that when a quarterback holds the ball for “over three seconds, you’ve got to get home.” If the ball gets out quick, like a slant in “2.2 seconds,” the rushers need to “get your hand up to knock a slant down” or “get our hands up and help.” Defensive tackle Chris Jones echoed the sentiment, stating that “the most important thing that matters is wins and losses,” and they “were able to pull through.” But even in that overtime win, he acknowledged they “were also able to learn a lot about this team , the resiliency of the team and the core strength of the team,” while admitting there are “still areas for improvement.”
Look, an overtime win is still a win, and Chris Jones is right: “wins and losses” are what matter. But you gotta wonder if this Chiefs defense can consistently bring the heat after seeing what happened against the Colts. They showed that “resiliency of the team” in pushing through, but the “areas for improvement” are glaring, especially up front. Can they tie together the rush and coverage? That’s the real question as they move forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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