It took some time for things to come together for the Chiefs on defense last season, but there was a lot to like about the unit once all the pieces were in place.
They gave up 24 points a game over their first 10 games in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system before dropping to a league-low 11.5 points per game aver the the final six contests of the regular season. Spagnuolo is back for a second year and almost all of the team’s key defensive contributors are back this year, which has safety Tyrann Mathieu expecting a better start this time around.
“We expect to pick up where we left off last season, as one of the best defenses in the National Football League,” Mathieu said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “It wasn’t pretty, and I know we don’t have this extra amount of first-round draft picks. We’ve just got a lot of guys that work hard and fit our scheme really well. A lot of those guys are coming back. The expectation is to be one of the best defenses in the National Football League and obviously to start the season faster and finish even stronger.”
There’s every reason to expect the Patrick Mahomes-led offense to be one of the best in the league. If the defense reaches Mathieu’s expectations, the Chiefs are going to be tough for the AFC to handle once again this year.