On Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid set the tone for the week when he essentially expressed that there would be no talk of any potential AFC farewell week. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo continued the head coach’s course on Thursday, several times stating that the Chiefs’ focus is only to play well against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons, despite being between 4 and 10, had no problems in 2020. They entered Sunday’s game in fourth place in the league, with 273.4 yards per game. The Chiefs’ secondary will be tested by former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, and Spagnuolo would like to see a solid 60-minute game from his unit.
“For me, it would be consistency,” replied Spagnuolo when asked what remains to be done before the Chiefs reach the playoffs. “I think we played some really good casualties. I felt it in the previous game, as if I thought there were many productive casualties against the Saints. However, there is an explosive move here, a red zone without stopping there and suddenly, they have 29 points. So, if we could find consistency in our good game, I think that all our boys would feel much better about it, and that is what we will continue to pursue. ”
Kansas City is in last place in the NFL in the red zone, with a conversion rate of 77%, although the team is optimistic that it can improve – especially as newcomer cornerback L’Jarius Sneed continues to show himself as the team’s nickel cornerback . It is turning into a league-wide consensus that the Chiefs achieved one of this year’s NFL Draft wins in the fourth round.
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“I liked the way he worked on the film,” recalls Spagnuolo de Sneed. “I liked the interviews we had with him. I mean, everything was pointing in that direction, but really until you bring any of these guys here – it might be a first-round choice – you really don’t know until they get here. You throw them in the fire, when the bullets are flying, how they react, and I think LJ did a good job. I think all those young people we have done a good job ”.
His feelings extend to rookie Willie Gay, who continues to view the field only in moderation while learning Spagnuolo’s system. Third-year linebacker Ben Niemann saw much more action – to a vocal part of the fan base’s dismay – but Gay may be in line to see more time against Atlanta.
After losing the last two games, linebacker Damien Wilson missed the first two training sessions of the week – and Anthony Hitchens is currently on the reserve / COVID list.
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“Let’s get the guys out there who we think can help us against Matt Ryan and that attack, which I think is explosive and very good – Willie will be one of those guys. He has to play for us, we know that he plays in the base defense, we will have to see where he fits in the other positions.
“But I have a lot of confidence in the guys who are still here. If we are without Hitch (Anthony Hitchens) and Damien (Wilson), the next guy has to introduce himself. “
Gay already has at least one prominent believer in what he can do.
“He has the potential to be very, very good in this league,” said defensive Chris Jones. “I just have to keep working, keep my head down. He can fly around, man, he can fly around, and that’s definitely why he went to the second round. But he made a big impact on that defense.
“We have been able to use it in a number of ways, and we just have to keep working and keep working.”