Arrowhead Pride
In 2025, Kansas City needs better pass rushers alongside superstar Chris Jones.
For the third straight year, I’m considering the 10 biggest questions I have for the Kansas City Chiefs for 2025.
As I watch the Chiefs’ games from last season, I often notice a lack of secondary pass rush. While Chris Jones was a dominant pass rusher every week, there were other games in which no other Kansas City player was generating pressure; it was an issue in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the second matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers and the first game against the Denver Broncos.
Still, the Chiefs did a good job getting pressure against the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills in the postseason. In the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, they couldn’t get anything going — although this was against the Eagles’ great offensive line.
Since the defensive line was largely unchanged from the previous season, why did Kansas City get less pressure in 2024? I have identified two core reasons:
Last season, the Chiefs were shifting coverages in the secondary. This isn’t a criticism; the pass defense continued to be very good. I’d even argue that without cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, it was smart for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to adjust the coverage.
In 2023, Kansas City mainly ran a man coverage scheme that depended on Sneed (and cornerback Trent McDuffie) to shut down the opposing team’s two best wide receivers — which they did very well. This meant quarterbacks had to hold the ball longer to find open windows, giving the Chiefs’ pass rushers more time to get home.
But in 2024, Kansas City lacked the personnel to depend so much on man coverage. So the defense primarily used more shell coverages, protecting itself over the top by passing off routes in a Cover 4 scheme — and did a great job with it. But using this approach — which generally left only three defenders underneath — conceded quick routes to the offense. With the ball coming out more quickly, it was harder for the defensive line to get pressure.
But this wasn’t the only problem.
While defensive end George Karlaftis was still an impactful player, he recorded fewer pressures: 61 in 2024, compared to 64 in the previous season. But on a per-snap basis, the difference was much more stark: Karlaftis’ pressure rate dipped from 14.1% in 2023 to 11.2% in 2024.
The other defensive ends struggled even more. Mike Danna finished the season with only 22 pressures (after having 41 in 2023). On film, Danna struggled to get any pass rush wins — especially against quick passes.
Charles Omenihu’s production was also down, as he played in only six games after recovering from a torn ACL. Unfortunately, this had a cascading effect on everyone else. In 2023, Kansas City’s pass rush really got rolling only after Omenihu returned from his six-game suspension. Without him for much of the...
