Andy Reid breaks down what makes the Washington Commanders dangerous on both sides of the ball, calling their head coach “one of the best in the league” and highlighting the team’s explosive players and veteran leadership. By Emily Curiel
Amid an inconsistent start to the 2025 NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs, Steve Spagnuolo’s run defense has been a beacon of consistency.
The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.
Kansas City’s green-dot linebacker, Nick Bolton, leads the way in that department, having registered a team-leading 14 stops against the run, per Pro Football Focus.
“It starts with our D-line,” Bolton said. “They do a great job of taking on blocks for us, putting two hands on guys and giving us run-throughs.
“I took advantage of those early in the game (last week against the Raiders), but also the coaches putting a great scheme together — taking away what teams want to do best, making them do the second and third thing, and then after that, we’re just flying around, (rallying) to the ball.”
Fellow linebackers Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal have each recorded seven run stops. Tranquill, in particular, hasn’t missed a tackle against the run all season.
“Me, Leo, and Drue, we’re trying to fight to the football and see who gets there first,” Bolton said. “And that’s kind of our mindset on every play.”
Over the years, Chris Jones has made a habit of praising his line coach, Joe Cullen. Jones and the other Chiefs linemen have embraced Cullen’s tough-but-fair coaching style — in part of because of how thoroughly he prepares them for different run-game looks each week.
“We’ve got a hell of a run-game coordinator in Joe Cullen,” Jones said. “(He) gives us looks throughout the week, (he) prepares us and keeps us proactive in the run game.
“Whatever looks we see in the game, we’re already familiar with them because we’ve done so many reps at practice that it comes easy for us.”
Spagnuolo, too, has noticed the success, though he was careful not to jinx anything during Friday’s media session.
“I don’t really wanna talk about that because what if it comes up this time?” he said with a laugh. “I’m not even gonna hit that one. I hope it’s because our guys rise up to the challenge, but we’re about to face some other ones this week.” The Commanders selected Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round of this year’s draft. And while he doesn’t have the name recognition of some of the other backs KC has faced this year, he has produced — much like former seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco during his 2022 rookie season in KC.
Croskey-Merritt leads Washington with 80 touches for 437 yards (5.5 yards per touch) and four rushing touchdowns, which includes a 100-plus-yard rushing game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“This No. 22 that has jumped onto the scene is really, really good,” Spagnuolo said of Croskey-Merritt. “(Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr.) do a really good job of breaking tackles.
“That’s never gonna change for us in any game that we go into,” Spagnuolo added. “The first focus is going to be on stopping a run attack, because I firmly believe if you don’t do that, you get yourself in trouble.”