The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII thanks in large part to a defense that dominated opponents in 2023. Why, then, would anyone rank this defense outside the top-five, let alone the top-10 of their NFL defensive power rankings?
That's exactly what Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer has done, ranking the Chiefs No. 11 in the NFL.
Here is his reasoning:
"One, the Chiefs traded away one of their best players in cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. They have options at corner, but Sneed played at an All-Pro level last season and will be nearly impossible to replace. Two, the Chiefs got lucky in a couple of areas last season. They had the fourth-best injury luck of any defense, and they faced the fifth-fewest snaps against opponents’ primary starting quarterbacks. I still see the ingredients for a very good defense; it just might not look quite as good as it did last year."
Losing Sneed is no small thing. He was an absolute dynamo for this defense last season, and his play earned him a four-year deal worth $76.4 million with the Tennessee Titans.
However, it would be foolish to assume the Chiefs can't continue to develop their defensive backs, as they've been doing for years. Also, All-Pro Trent McDuffie exists.
Additionally, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is arguably the very best in the game today. His aggressive schemes, combined with the personnel he has to work with, make life a living hell for opposing offenses on a weekly basis.
Finally, it would be wise to consider the other side of the ball. Football is such a team game. What the offense does effects how the defense approaches the game.
And this season? The Chiefs may be getting back to some explosive stuff offensively. Already, thanks to the addition of rookie receiver Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes is taking more deep shots than he did last year. I would expect the offense to improve significantly compared to its meager 2023 output.
This means Spagnuolo and his defense will likely have more opportunities to wreak havoc as teams play catch-up. When it's all said and done, the Chiefs should feature a top-10 offense and defense in 2024.
