Kansas City Chiefs: Run Defense
It’s difficult to be too critical of a team like the Kansas City Chiefs who are coming off an impressive Super Bowl victory. When looking for weaknesses on their roster, while there aren’t many, one that stands out the most is their ability to stop the run.
The Chiefs were effective in pass coverage overall, but particularly struggled when it came down to stopping the run. They allowed 2,051 total rushing yards in the 2019 regular season and that was the 7th most allowed among all teams in the NFL.
There are reasons for optimism surrounding the Chiefs’ potential to improve against the run in 2020. Kansas City will have Breeland Speaks and Darius Harris healthy after dealing with injuries in 2019. However, they will need 2020 NFL Draft selections Willie Gay Jr. and Mike Danna to step in and make an instant impact.
In a conference that features running attacks like the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans, it’s important the Chiefs are ready to stop the run. Their high octane passing offense can neutralize an opposing team’s running game when they’re clicking, but the defense needs to handle their own.