Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo made it clear he expects more from his defense this week, particularly against the run. After a shaky performance in last weekend’s preseason game, Spagnuolo called out both the interior and perimeter play that allowed Seattle to dictate the tone.
“I didn’t like the way we played the run,” Spagnuolo said. “I’ll give (Seahawks head coach) Mike Macdonald and his staff a lot of credit. They came out with the intent to prove something to the Kansas City Chiefs, and they did. They were coming out of the huddle fast, they were running right at us, and I’m just not sure we were ready for that — shame on us.”
For Spagnuolo, the problems started inside, where the Chiefs’ defensive tackles and linebackers struggled to control the line of scrimmage.
“Run defense begins in the middle — tackles, linebackers — and then it works its way out,” he explained. “There were some things inside that weren’t what we normally do or how we normally play. Chris [Jones] can’t play every snap. We rotate guys, and those guys are expected to step up and play better than we did.”
The coordinator also pointed to breakdowns on the edges, where tackling — typically a strength of Kansas City’s secondary — fell short.
“On the perimeter, the tackling wasn’t nearly what we’re used to,” Spagnuolo said. “I think our secondary tackles as well as anybody in the league — but they didn’t in that game. So everybody’s kind of on high alert, and hopefully that gets straightened out.”
With the final preseason game looming on Friday, Spagnuolo expects his group to set a higher standard.
“I think our guys are ready to kind of put it together and play a little bit better,” he said. “I hope that’s the case.”