On Tuesday, the soccer analytics website Professional Soccer Focus printed its newest rating of NFL place teams for 2024. Sam Monson regarded on the league’s defensive strains, placing the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles on the prime — and rating the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the center.
14. Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
Chris Jones is arguably the very best inside defender in soccer now that Aaron Donald has retired, and the Chiefs saved him on the town this offseason. He leads all defensive tackles in whole pressures over the previous three years.
George Karlaftis improved in Yr 2 and was stable on the sting, whereas Charles Omenihu is one thing of a query mark, given his torn ACL within the AFC Championship recreation in January. If he can come again totally wholesome, it is a group that would enhance on this rating.
Takeaway
The Chiefs started the 2023 postseason towards the Miami Dolphins with Jones, Karlaftis, defensive finish Michael Danna and defensive sort out Derrick Nnadi listed as its starters. Omenihu and defensive tackles Tershawn Wharton and Mike Pennel have been the first gamers who rotated into the road.
That group completed the common season with 57 sacks (rating second within the NFL), 181 pressures (additionally rating second), 64 hurries (third) and 60 quarterback knockdowns (fifth). The one space the place the group didn’t carry out at a excessive degree was stopping the run. It allowed 4.5 yards per try — the league’s seventh-worst mark.
As Monson accurately notes, Omenihu was injured in the course of the postseason. It could possibly be late within the 2024 season earlier than he returns to the lineup. However each single one of many Chiefs’ different defensive linemen will likely be again in 2024 — and 2023’s first-round choose Felix Anudike-Uzomah has spent the offseason working with former Chiefs nice Tamba Hali.
I get it: PFF exists to provide grades to particular person gamers. So we shouldn’t be shocked that it’s going to lean towards rating a line of defense primarily based on its variety of gamers with excessive PFF grades.
However from the place I sit, Kansas Metropolis’s line of defense is larger than the sum of its components.
