When people talk about the Kansas City Chiefs, usually all of the attention is on the offensive side of the ball. It is only natural given the greatness the combination of head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has produced. This season, however, the script has been flipped.
Working through some shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball, it has been the Chiefs’ defense that has produced at elite levels. Through nine weeks of the season, Kansas City ranks second in points allowed and fourth in yardage.
Only 25.5 percent of their opponent’s drives have ended in a score and 13.8 percent of them have ended in a turnover. This unit is more than making up for the offense, which is still finding its way beyond tight end Travis Kelce in the passing game.
One of the players who has contributed the most to the defensive dominance is Drue Tranquill. The Chiefs signed him away from the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency and he has turned out to be their best addition of the offseason.
Tranquill has seen his role in the defense expand as the season has moved along. He played only 13 snaps in Week 1, but more than doubled his plays in Week 2. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done an excellent job of putting his guys in the best positions to succeed on the field and it has paid off.
In Tranquill’s case, that has been emerging as the team’s starting MIKE linebacker. When starting middle linebacker, Nick Bolton, suffered an ankle sprain earlier in the season, Tranquill was thrust into the role. It became his on a more permanent basis after Bolton was placed on injured reserve because of a wrist injury.
As pointed out by Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports, Tranquill has done excellently filling in. The Chiefs are 4-1 since the change was made, with their only loss being to the Denver Broncos when the team turned the ball over five times.
“With Tranquill at MIKE, the defense has allowed a 36% conversion rate on third downs. They’re allowing just under 18 points per game on average in those five games. This is all with Tranquill acting as the defensive signal caller and wearing the green dot for Steve Spagnuolo. Bolton has him beat on the four-game stretch with 13.75 points per game on average, but it’s hard to scoff at either number,” wrote Goldman.
On the season, Tranquill has 55 total tackles with 3.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. He has added one pass defended and two forced fumbles to round out a very solid stat line.
It is fair to question where the Chiefs would be without his contributions. Having a veteran of his caliber capable of stepping into the lineup when an injury occurs is a luxury not many teams are afforded. His signing has paid off big for a Kansas City team looking to defend their Super Bowl championship.
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