The Chiefs Defense Used Four Big Safeties To Get To The Super Bowl

[HOUSE]

This is a great link for a break down of strategy by the Chiefs, open the link for more....

 

There were four of those big safeties on most plays: Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Daniel Sorensen and L’Jarius Sneed. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter, when Mahomes and the Chiefs had taken a commanding 31-15 lead, that Spagnuolo ultimately switched to a more aggressive three-cornerback/three-safety form of coverage designed almost exclusively to stop the pass.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-chiefs-defense-used-four-big-safeties-to-get-to-the-super-bowl/

Edited January 28, 2021 by HOUSE

[Zerovoltz]

Given the metrics of what KC does best and what the Bills do best....Spagnuolo correctly utilized and leveraged the KC defense to optimally defend against Buffalo's powerful passing attack that ran 3 and 4 wide fromations as much or more  than any other team.  This allowed KC to keep its crappy coverage LB's on the bench.  The Bills need to add a TE that is a threat and/or some RB's that are feauterd as pass catchers.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Zerovoltz
1st post was condescending and kind of douche like...this one more to the point wihtout the d baggery

[Scott7975]

2 minutes ago, Zerovoltz said:

.....uh......wait what?  <brag mode on>  So they did what I told you they would do against the Bills....and that it was the optimal defense KC could put on the field......against a Buffalo team that goes 3 and 4 wide as much or more than anyone else and that it was a bad matchup for the Bills.....hmmmm.

You are generally a good visiting poster here. Please don't start being a dick. 

[Big Turk]

Sneed is a CB. He plays the slot normally and Mathieu isn't exactly "big". 

[Zerovoltz]

Just now, Scott7975 said:

You are generally a good visiting poster here. Please don't start being a dick. 

sorry.....you are right.....that came off kind of douch canoe ish.  I will ammend it.

[Big Turk]

4 minutes ago, Zerovoltz said:

.....uh......wait what?  <brag mode on>  So they did what I told you they would do against the Bills....and that it was the optimal defense KC could put on the field......against a Buffalo team that goes 3 and 4 wide as much or more than anyone else and that it was a bad matchup for the Bills.....hmmmm.

 

The plan was to dare the refs to call defensive holding and illegal contact like the Legion of Boom used to do and do it every play knowing the refs can only call it so much. In this case much like the other playoff games they swallowed the whistles. Fair play to them, the Bills should have adjusted to it better.

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

I’ll have to watch the game again and see how they were used. The NFL needs to try and officiate games the same way from regular season to playoffs to super bowl. The way KC was holding on the O-Line and in the secondary was criminal. The delayed flag when Diggs basically got suplexed was comical. If these safeties are allowed to grab and hold WR’s in the playoffs then every team should be coping this strategy.

[Andrew Son]

The main factor was the health of our WR’s.  Amazingly every last one of them was banged up.

 

This would be like congratulating our scheme if we limited a hobbled Kelce and Hill.

 

getting lucky with health is huge.

Edited January 28, 2021 by SWATeam

[SCBills]

6 minutes ago, SWATeam said:

The main factor was the health of our WR’s.  Amazingly every last one of them was banged up.

 

This would be like congratulating our scheme if we limited a hobbled Kelce and Hill.

 

getting lucky with health is huge.

Sure, but KC is paying Watkins and he apparently never plays. 
 

Their corners, Breeland & Fenton, were on the injury report as well.  
 

Absolutely, the health of our WR’s played some part in our ineffectiveness, but when you only have one pitch... and it’s not working.. that’s what happens.   Couple that with a complete defensive meltdown and you get what happened on Sunday. 

[SoCal Deek]

The biggest difference in the Chiefs game was the lack of time Josh had to find an open receiver. I recall games this year where he seemed to stand back there for what seemed like hours. Not true on Sunday. If the opponents secondary is going to commit their resources to plastering your receivers then there’s an expectation that they’ll do it at the detriment of their pass rush. Unfortunately, the Chiefs were able to do both on Sunday and the result was disastrous.

[Andrew Son]

3 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Sure, but KC is paying Watkins and he apparently never plays. 
 

Their corners, Breeland & Fenton, were on the injury report as well.  
 

Absolutely, the health of our WR’s played some part in our ineffectiveness, but when you only have one pitch... and it’s not working.. that’s what happens.   Couple that with a complete defensive meltdown and you get what happened on Sunday. 

Sure, but our injury situation was a bit extreme- IMO.

 

Not sure how a passing team can have success with no healthy receivers 

[BearNorth]

We gave up a huge play to Hill, a huge play to Hardman, and they've been running  the shovel pass to Kelce on the goal line for a while, and our defense was clueless. Just Saying.  This wasn't all on the offense.

[BuffaloRebound]

32 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Sneed is a CB. He plays the slot normally and Mathieu isn't exactly "big". 

Article lost all credibility for me when 5’9” 190lb Matthieu is referred to as a big safety.  He’s awesome but he ain’t big.  

[zow2]

31 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

The plan was to dare the refs to call defensive holding and illegal contact like the Legion of Boom used to do and do it every play knowing the refs can only call it so much. In this case much like the other playoff games they swallowed the whistles. Fair play to them, the Bills should have adjusted to it better.

 

Yep.  I heard an interview with one of the Tampa Bay DB's yesterday.  He said the same thing. He was playing edgy against Green Bay receivers,,doing a lot of grabbing, hand checking, anything to ruin the WR's timing and it worked.  The refs pretty much let everything go.  So we'll see in the Super Bowl if the refs start calling it on both clubs.

Meanwhile the Bills just play 5-7 yards off the receivers and that's our strategy in a big playoff game. SMH.

[H2o]

The only reason they could do this is because we don't have an effective running game. They don't have to respect it. They played to stop the pass, our three main guys were all hobbled to some extent, and it was a flawless move by Spagnuolo. Lets not forget that he was the DC for those Giants teams that stopped Tom Brady in two SB's. One of those was the #3 scoring offense of all time, calling a game that held them to 14 pts. He's an excellent DC. Always has been. We just need to be more balanced so that people have to account for everything and know that they can't stop us if they eliminate one aspect. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by H2o

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

If we could run the football that probably would’ve brought those LB’s back into the game. Next season we need a more balanced attack. 

[BuffaloRebound]

7 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

If we could run the football that probably would’ve brought those LB’s back into the game. Next season we need a more balanced attack. 

Can’t be a 1 trick pony and win championships. You’re gonna come up against a team that’s gonna take away what you do best.  Even though Singletary was a draft miss, not sure why the coaching staff has a Peterman-like affinity for him.  Coaching staff preaches no entitlement.  If we had a RB who could’ve run with some power/violence, there was 5-7 yards a pop minimum.  

[Royale with Cheese]

This is why we need to be able to run the ball and maybe this is the one game where we run a lot of two TE sets.  

[Logic]

Hmm...

The Bills ride an elite passing offense to a 13-3 record, only to see the opposition sell out to stop the pass by deploying six defensive backs in the biggest game of the year.

Where have I heard this one before? 

Oh, right. Super Bowl XXV.

History repeats. Only this time, unlike the '90 team, the Bills aren't even ABLE to run the ball well when dared to do so. 

This is what we mean when we say the Bills need to be able to run the ball. Not that they need to run it more often, but that they need to be able to run it EFFECTIVELY when the game calls for it. Unless and until they can run the ball well, this is just going to keep happening.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Logic

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, Logic said:

Hmm...

The Bills ride an elite passing offense to a 13-3 record, only to see the opposition sell out to stop the pass by deploying six defensive backs in the biggest game of the year.

Where have I heard this one before? 

Oh, right. Super Bowl XXV.

History repeats. Only this time, unlike the '90 team, the Bills aren't even ABLE to run the ball well when dared to do so. 

This is what we mean when we say the Bills need to be able to run the ball. Not that they need to run it more often, but that they need to be able to run it EFFECTIVELY when the game calls for it. Unless and until they can run the ball well, this is just going to keep happening.

 

Agreed.  

25 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Can’t be a 1 trick pony and win championships. You’re gonna come up against a team that’s gonna take away what you do best.  Even though Singletary was a draft miss, not sure why the coaching staff has a Peterman-like affinity for him.  Coaching staff preaches no entitlement.  If we had a RB who could’ve run with some power/violence, there was 5-7 yards a pop minimum.  

 

Because it isn't just him - its daboll, its allen, its the offensive line.  Bad call - play blown up.  Bad check - play blown up.  Bad Blocking - play blown up.  People act like having speed is going to fix the running game somehow. 

 

I'd personally start with the offensive line.  I think some changes need to be made, and an attempt needs to be made to find premier talent.  It helps both passing and rushing offenses.  Buffalo had some pro-bowlers on the line with wood (1x), and Incognito (3x).  But as of right now the unit is not particularly good.