KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twice in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Chris Jones did what he often does in a one-on-one matchup: He quickly defeated an offensive lineman to create immediate pressure on Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The problem for Jones and the Chiefs defense is that Allen finished both plays gaining positive yards instead of falling backward to the turf.
“We’ve got to get him down,” Jones, the Chiefs’ best defender, said Thursday. “I was there two times and didn’t wrap him up, didn’t get him down. It’s my mistake. (There’s) a lot I can learn from that.”
A major reason the Bills scored 30 points in their win over the Chiefs — becoming the first opponent to score at least that many on them since Super Bowl LVII in 2023— is that coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit never sacked Allen.
“We’re hoping to crank it up and get the numbers where we want them, the hits, the pressures and getting the quarterback off his spot,” Spagnuolo said. “Those are things we need to get better at.”
In fact, one of the biggest differences in Spagnuolo’s unit is that the Chiefs are not sacking quarterbacks as much as they did a year ago. In 2023, the Chiefs were second in the NFL with 57 sacks, sixth in quarterback hits with 63 and 14th in pressures with 172. This season they are 27th (19 sacks), second (45 quarterback hits) and 11th (99 pressures).
“I don’t measure everything on sacks,” Spagnuolo said. “That particular quarterback (Allen) and a bunch of these quarterbacks we’ve played (Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy and Baker Mayfield), we’ve had to play a certain way and sometimes you’re not getting four or five guys turned loose.
“It makes it hard and (Allen) makes one guy miss and we’re off point, he can (scramble) like he did on that fourth-down play.”
Put the team on his back. @JoshAllenQB
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/8kbW3A8o5y— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2024
The play Spagnuolo referenced was the most critical late in the fourth quarter, when the Bills had just a 2-point lead and faced fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs 26-yard line.
Defensive end George Karlaftis made the first minor mistake. He used a speed rush to gain a step on right tackle Ryan Van Demark but lost his pass-rush lane integrity that was supposed to help contain Allen in the pocket. Once Allen ran forward, he sprinted past defensive tackle Mike Pennel, linebacker Drue Tranquill and cornerback Nazeeh Johnson before reaching the end zone.
“You have to be critical of your own errors,” Jones said of the Chiefs’ four-man pass rush. “I don’t think we played our best game last (week). A lot of us could’ve played better. We’re going to get better from it.
“We’ll get better. It’s something we can do collectively. We have seven more games in the (regular season). (There’s) a lot of football left to be played. We’re not counting numbers right now. We’ll see where we’re at at the end of the year.”
Oftentimes against the Bills, and the previous week in a win over the Denver Broncos, Spagnuolo had to unleash a blitz to ensure he generated consistent pressure on the quarterback. The Chiefs’ last two sacks, against Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix, were generated in part because Spagnuolo blitzed.
BOLTON STRIKES FOR THE 16-YARD SACK ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/aRSmNd4j7N
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 10, 2024
The Chiefs have blitzed at the third-highest rate in the league this season (36.9 percent), according to Next Gen Stats. Spagnuolo’s blitzes have led to the Chiefs’ recording a league-high 39 unblocked pressures, including 33 when sending five or more pass defenders, which also leads in the NFL.
One reason Spagnuolo has had to blitz so often is because of the Chiefs’ lack of pressure with just four linemen. Jones once again leads all defensive tackles in the league with a pass-rush win rate — beating a block within 2.5 seconds, according to player tracking data — of 18 percent. The next highest defensive lineman for the Chiefs is Karlaftis, who ranks 19th among edge rushers.
Sunday, the Bills anticipated the Chiefs’ blitzes on third down, leading Allen to be successful on pivotal thirds. He finished with eight completions on 16 attempts for 108 yards, a touchdown and an interception when the Chiefs blitz, according to Next Gen Stats. Allen did much better when facing four or fewer pass rushers, completing 19 of his 24 attempts for 154 yards.
“The one thing that is concerning to me is that we need to win more third downs,” Spagnuolo said. “I’ve got to look at what I’m calling and we’ve got to look at what we’re doing. Some of those mistakes (from players) were on those particular plays.”
Josh Allen to Curtis Samuel extends the Bills’ lead!
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/BWGErDx9q3— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
Spagnuolo has a two-man cavalry approaching to help his four-man pass rush: defensive ends Joshua Uche and Charles Omenihu.
Late last month, the Chiefs executed a small trade with the New England Patriots, exchanging a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to acquire Uche, a five-year player. Before he arrived in Kansas City, Uche recorded two sacks, three quarterback hits and 13 tackles in seven games with the Patriots.
“We were talking about trying to get, because Spags is so creative, a 3-4 linebacker to just give us a speed rusher,” general manager Brett Veach said of Uche last week. “Spags likes to collect power players, guys who are long. Because Steve is so great at what he does, we’ve talked about giving him a different chess piece to work with.
“He can serve as the sixth linebacker on special teams, but also provide you a nickel rusher. When Charles comes back, you now have the ability to go with five defensive ends.”
Uche played just five snaps against the Bills, but Spagnuolo understands his role — and snap count — should increase after spending close to a month learning the Chiefs’ schemes and pass-rushing techniques.
“This is my first time going through something like this, so I’m doing whatever is asked of me,” Uche said of the trade Wednesday. “It’s all about teamwork and coming together as a unit to attack and execute the game plan. I’m doing everything I can to help the team win. All I can do is do my best with the snaps that I’m given.”
Meet our defense’s newest menace 😤 @_Uche35 pic.twitter.com/mY4Nj1CR4B
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 29, 2024
Last season, Omenihu had seven sacks, 11 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in 11 games. He created an impressive strip-sack in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game before suffering a torn ACL in his right knee.
The Chiefs opened his 21-day practice window last week and he could return to the field in a limited role as soon as Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
“I give that guy all the credit,” fellow defensive end Mike Danna said. “He’s been working his ass off to get back.”
The Chiefs are optimistic that Uche and Omenihu can enhance their pass-rushing production, especially in the postseason. Perhaps the ideal four-man rush for Spagnuolo on third down, if he doesn’t blitz, is a lineup of Jones, Karlaftis, Uche and Omenihu.
“When we play our best is when the unit’s chemistry is like that,” Spagnuolo said while interlocking his hands. “If we can get back to that, I think we’ll be OK.”
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(Photo of Steve Spagnuolo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
