Chiefs Roster: Team is hoping to turn pass-rushing pressure into sacks

Through the season’s first six games, the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive front has been solid — but not quite as disruptive as they would have preferred. While Kansas City is ranked 11th in sacks with 14 — a respectable mark — it is still less than half of the Denver Broncos’ NFL-best 30 sacks.

The Chiefs’ defensive line coach Joe Cullen believes his front four has done a decent job generating pressure and quarterback hits. The next step is turning those into sacks.

“No question about it,” Cullen told reporters on Thursday. “We have this saying: ‘Pressures and hits are great, but we want [the quarterback] on his back.’ We had our opportunities — and we’re continuing to get better. Analytics will tell you that usually leads to sacks.”

That’s been the story for much of the season: flashes of good pass rush from players like Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu, but not usually enough to finish plays. That trio accounts for 24 of the team’s 36 quarterback hits this season, but has combined for just 6.5 sacks — and Karlaftis has 3.5 of those.

Cullen pointed to last week’s game against the Detroit Lions as an example of how close the unit has been to breaking through. The Kansas City secondary played tight coverage to counter the Lions’ quick passing game, leaving it up to the defensive line to bring down Detroit quarterback Jared Goff.

“He got rid of the ball in 2.2 [seconds],” said Cullen. “[That’s] faster than anyone we’ve seen all year. When you get rid of the ball and the coverage is there, the rush has got to be there.”

Specifically, Cullen highlighted this play in the fourth quarter — a third-and-10 at Detroit’s 26-yard line. Trailing by 10 points, Goff drops back — but the Chiefs’ coverage takes away his quick pass. Jones’ pressure up the middle forces Goff to step up right into Omenihu, who finishes the play and collects Kansas City’s only sack of the game.

“Coach had a great call at the end of the game,” Cullen explained. “We locked them down and Chris had a great move inside. [He] had him wrapped up and Charles cleaned him up.

“We had opportunities earlier to do that and didn’t get him down. But it’s just an ongoing thing you have to keep getting better at it. When the coverage is there, the rush has to be there. It goes hand-in-hand.”

Spagnuolo agreed that the defense took steps forward against the Lions — especially later in the game.

“I thought Detroit did a good job early where we didn’t get some pressure,” Spagnuolo observed. “They decided on that one drive they were just going to throw it, and they had some success and Goff maybe had a little more time than we would’ve wanted. But I thought as the game got rolling — and our guys got used to who they were going up against — it got better.”

In Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Spagnuolo hopes to build on that progress.

“Hopefully, it’ll keep going like that,” he said. “Hopefully, we can begin that way, [too].”