This week the Kansas City Chiefs will have their defense tested as they face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs are coming off a victory against another prolific offense in the Oakland Raiders. However, during that game they sustained some casualties, losing Allen Bailey and Justin March-Lillard. Now they have to face the number one passing offense in the NFL and will need to exploit every weakness of New Orleans in order to win Sunday.
Kansas City Chiefs Week Seven Keys to Victory
Attack the Safeties
It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints have a terrible defense. They struggle to get consistent pressure or tackle in the open field. Their biggest weakness this year however, seems to be the play of the safeties. Throughout the season New Orleans has struggled to defend balls thrown downfield. This is largely due to a lack of communication between the safeties and cornerbacks. The most glaring mistakes are seen when playing cover 2 defense. In the cover two defense, both safeties drop back into zone coverage and play over-top in case the receiver gets past the cornerback. When played correctly it takes away the deep vertical and fly routes by the wide receiver. Guys like Vonn Bell on the other hand, have a tendency to bite on the underneath routes over the middle being run by tight ends and slot receivers. This leaves the receiver lined up wide with one on one coverage, a quarterback’s dream with the right match-up.
For the Chiefs to take advantage of this they will need to be willing to throw the ball down the field. This of course, is not Alex Smith‘s strong suit. Andy Reid is a west coast offense guy, getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly for short consistent yardage. This is the one thing I think the Saints could defend well. While there isn’t much that stands out about New Orleans’ defense, their speed is the one thing that does. They have great closing speed and defend screens and quick hitches relatively well. This is why it’s imperative we see throws downfield. Alex is going to need to throw the ball into the third level of this defense consistently in order to move the ball through the air. I’d expect plenty of post routes over the middle as well as fly routes up the side for guys like Chris Conley and Jeremy Maclin. The only real question is whether Alex will have the arm strength to get the ball to them down-field.
Replacements for Justin March-Lillard and Allen Bailey Need to Step Up
Earlier this week the Chiefs places Justin March-Lillard and Allen Bailey on the IR. Bailey suffered a torn pectoral muscle while March-Lillard broke his hand. Both these players were most valuable when defending the run, which is something the Chiefs are already poor at. I’m hoping to see Chris Jones put in as the replacement for Bailey. This may not be much of a down-grade to be honest. Jones hasn’t seen much action this year, but I believe may be something very special. His size and strength allow him to have his way with lineman. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear his name called quite a bit this week. We still don’t know who will replace March-Lillard but my money would be on Ramik Wilson. Whoever starts however, will likely be tested often by this Saints offense. I’d expect the Saints to try and run the ball more than usual as well as throw short routes over the middle to take advantage of the replacements. If Jones and Wilson can live up to the challenge, the Chiefs should be in decent shape.
Bump and Run Coverage
The Saints receiving core is built around speed. Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, and Michael Thomas are all small quick receivers. The offense also is largely based on quick timing routes. Brees is supposed to throw the ball before the receiver even makes his cut. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton will likely counter this by jamming receivers at the line, throwing the timing for the route off. It also prevents Brees from getting into any sort of rhythm. Guys like Marcus Peters and D.J. White‘s (who will likely be filling in for the injured Phillip Gaines) strength is their physicality. Since Brees is so good at getting the ball out of his hands quickly, delaying the quick routes by locking up the wide outs should make it easier for the defensive line to get some sacks and hits on the quarterback.
Dominate Time of Possession
As always when you face an elite quarterback, you want to keep them off the field as much as possible. Of course running the football well will do just that. Spencer Ware is a tough runner and shouldn’t have too many problems with the Saints poor tackling. The interior defensive line of New Orleans has been unable to stop smash mouth runners and this Sunday should be no different. Forcing turnovers is also key to keeping the opposing team’s offense off the field. Every time Eric Berry and Derrick Johnson can make a hard hit on one of the smaller receivers and force a fumble, or Marcus Peters come away with an interception, means less time for Brees to score. It also will force the Saints to become more one dimensional on offense than they already are.
Conclusion
It will be no easy task for the Chiefs defense this Sunday. After all, it was only three weeks ago we saw the Steelers carve up Kansas City with a potent passing attack. The Saints will probably throw out some very similar looks. I’m sure the Chiefs will be better prepared for those looks, plus it never hurts to have the Arrowhead home-field advantage.
