The Chiefs earned their second Super Bowl win in as many seasons, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Patriots in 2004 and '05.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid have gotten a lot of praise for Kansas City's major achievement, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is starting to get the love he deserves for the Chiefs' success, as well.
Spagnuolo's defense put together an excellent performance against the 49ers and showed the fearlessness that has been typical of Spagnuolo-coached units of the past. They attacked San Francisco throughout the game and made it a goal to make Brock Purdy beat them, as L'Jarius Sneed explained after the game.
"Yes, we knew they were gonna try to run the ball," Sneed said. "We knew what they were gonna try to do. We just wanted Brock to throw the ball."
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Chiefs' defensive game plan in Super Bowl 58
Spagnuolo's defense did just that. They limited Christian McCaffrey to 3.6 yards per carry — his third-lowest average on the season — and came after Purdy with a variety of aggressive looks.
According to NFL analyst Bob Sturm, the Chiefs played man coverage more than twice as often as the 49ers saw all season long. They also ran Cover 0 blitzes on the 49ers 21.4 percent of the time, easily the most San Francisco saw all season.
The Chiefs also gave significantly more Cover 1 looks to keep the run game in check and Purdy off balance while thinking about the blitz.
| Play type | Chiefs in SB | Average vs. 49ers |
| Cover 0 | 21.4% | 6.2% |
| Cover 1 | 40.5% | 23.8% |
| Man coverage | 64.3% | 30.4% |
This performance was nothing new for the Chiefs, who boasted one of the league's best pressure rates and highest blitz rates in 2023 under Spagnuolo. The unit was at its best during the playoffs, too, limiting opponents to an average of 15.75 points per game while allowing the 49ers to score just 22 points in the longest Super Bowl in NFL history (74 minutes, 57 seconds of game time).
That effort earned Spagnuolo plenty of praise, including an endorsement to be a head coach once again from one of his former employers.
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Rams COO endorses Steve Spagnuolo
Spagnuolo's vote of confidence came from Kevin Demoff, who has served as the Rams' chief operating officer for 15 years. He worked with Spagnuolo during his head coaching stint with the Rams from 2009-11 and gave him a glowing review in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"It is well past time to see Spags get another head coaching opportunity," Demoff wrote. "The team [and] organization he inherited in [St. Louis] was a mess, nobody could have had success. Yet he changed the culture/staff [and] players believed. An amazing human deserving of the real shot we couldn’t give him."
It is well past time to see Spags get another head coaching opportunity.
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) February 13, 2024
The team & organization he inherited in STL was a mess, nobody could have had success. Yet he changed the culture/staff & players believed. An amazing human deserving of the real shot we couldn’t give him https://t.co/d82dXjC3W4
Demoff's post was surprisingly candid, especially considering that he remains employed by the Rams.
Perhaps it shouldn't have been too much of a shock. After all, Demoff recently endorsed Raheem Morris publicly for a coaching job during the offseason even though Morris was entrenched as an excellent defensive coordinator for the Rams.
"He’s one of the best leaders and culture builders I’ve ever been around," Demoff said of Morris on Peter Schrager's podcast.
Either way, Demoff's comments are sure to bring attention to Spagnuolo's candidacy, or lack thereof, for coaching jobs around the NFL. And while the 64-year-old may be happy in his role as Andy Reid's defensive coordinator, perhaps he will find himself drawing more interest in the coaching market in 2025.
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Has Steve Spagnuolo ever been a head coach?
Spagnuolo was once an NFL head coach. He had a three-year stint with the Rams from 2009-11 but struggled to build a consistent team.
The Rams — then in St. Louis — posted a 10-38 record in Spagnuolo's three seasons as the team endured quarterback issues and sported one of the league's worst offenses under his watch. St. Louis' defense was never above average under Spagnuolo either, so that ultimately led to his ouster.
Spagnuolo was granted another chance as an NFL interim coach in 2017. He led the Giants to a 1-3 mark after taking over for Ben McAdoo. However, Spagnuolo was not retained after that, as the Giants instead hired Pat Shurmur to run their franchise.
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Steve Spagnuolo head coaching record
Spagnuolo has posted a career record of 11-41 as an NFL head coach. His .212 winning percentage is good for the third-worst mark among qualified coaches in league history, ahead of only Hue Jackson (.205) and Bert Bell (.179).
Below is a breakdown of Spagnuolo's record by season:
| Year | Team | Record |
| 2009 | Rams | 1-15 |
| 2010 | Rams | 7-9 |
| 2011 | Rams | 2-14 |
| 2017 | Giants* | 1-3 |
| Total | Rams/Giants | 11-41 |
* Interim coach only.
That likely explains why Spagnuolo hasn't gotten a second full-time coaching job at the NFL level. It's hard to back a coach with that type of losing résumé, even if he was last a head coach over 12 years ago.
Even so, Spagnuolo has gotten the most out of Kansas City's defense, leading them to three Super Bowl wins during his five-year tenure alongside Reid. If the Chiefs' young stop unit continues to grow and play well in 2024, that may finally be the spark he needs to get back into the mix as a head coach, even as the 64-year-old enters the latter stages of his career.
Until then, Spganuolo will likely be content having earned his fourth career Super Bowl win as a defensive coordinator. His first came as a member of the 2007 Giants, who famously upset the 18-0 Patriots in Super Bowl 42.
