Kenneth Walker III’s league-leading ground game, combined with Steve Spagnuolo’s totally revamped, pressure-heavy defense, is straight-up taking the burden off Patrick Mahomes. After nine years of ruling the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs fell off the playoff radar last season for the first time in Mahomes’ entire career. Now, just four weeks into this regular season, they’re looking like the formidable Kansas City teams we all remember.
Kenneth Walker III and the Run Game No One Saw Coming
Let’s talk about the run game first. The Chiefs went out and made a prized free agent running back acquisition in Kenneth Walker III, and it’s paying off big time. This dude leads the entire NFL in rushing with a massive 537 yards already. Seriously, 537 yards! With the league trending more run-heavy, snagging Walker looks like an absolute steal, driving their comeback and taking pressure off their star QB. While legacy names like Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are still doing their thing, it’s Walker’s ground attack and a strong rookie defensive class that are inspiring a whole new level of confidence. This team is clearly laser-focused on getting back to Super Bowl contention.
The Chiefs’ Defense Is Not Messing Around Anymore
But the run game isn’t even the biggest change. It’s the defensive overhaul that’s really turning heads. We’re talking about roughly 35% of their defensive snaps this season being played by guys who weren’t even on the roster a year ago. That’s wild! Through four weeks, the Chiefs have their best defensive EPA per play mark, clocking in at 0.04, since they won the Super Bowl in 2024.
How’d they do it? The pass rush is back, baby. They’re on pace for 259 pressures this year, according to TruMedia, which would be their highest total in a decade. Last season, they had a higher team pressure rate at 39.2%, but they needed way more blitzes to get there. Now, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is getting after opposing quarterbacks without sending five-plus rushers as often. That’s huge for the revamped secondary.
There’s one snag though: finishing plays. Despite all that pressure, they only have four sacks on the year, which is tied for the second-lowest in the NFL. That’s gotta be frustrating for them. Still, the elevated success up front comes from stalwarts Felix Anudike-Uzomah and George Karlaftis stepping up their game. Plus, they’ve worked rookies R Mason Thomas and Peter Woods, both top-40 overall picks, into the rotation, with Thomas already racking up 10 pressures, third on the team.
The secondary also got a total facelift. After trading Trent McDuffie and watching cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook walk in free agency, they responded by drafting LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane No. 6 overall. They also snagged veteran safety Alohi Gilman and even brought back cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who they’d traded to the Titans back in 2024. Second-year cornerback Nohl Williams is already more than halfway to his total snaps played from last season. While still a bit green, Williams and Delane have shown enough to suggest they could be even better than some of the departing duo.
The pieces are clearly falling into place for Kansas City. Walker’s crushing ground game and a defense that’s suddenly shutting opponents down are putting the entire league on notice. What’s next for them? They’ve clearly re-established themselves as Super Bowl contenders, and every team they face from here on out better be ready. This isn’t the same Chiefs team that missed the playoffs last year, not by a long shot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply