Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones had high praise for one of his coaches. After defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl, Jones gave credit to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“I still think ‘Spags’ should be up for assistant coach of the year with what he’s been able to do with this defense from last year to this year, how he was able to overcome a lot of humps [and] how he was able to force a lot of guys to grow,” Jones said. “You look at last year, we gave up a lot of big plays. [We] come back this year, and I’ll say right now, L’Jarius Sneed had an All-Pro year. He should have been an All-Pro. [No.] 22 [Trent McDuffie] had an All-Pro year.”
Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has been elite
Jones certainly has a point. The Chiefs’ defense has been elite in 2023. The unit is No. 2 in the NFL in opponent points per game and No. 4 in opponent yards per game. The team also sports the No. 4 passing defense in the league, a marked improvement from last season.
Defensive dominance in the playoffs
In the postseason, Spagnuolo’s defense has continued to step up. The unit held a high-powered Miami Dolphins team to just 10 points, held the Buffalo Bills to 24, and held the Ravens to 10. Jones has been a force as well, collecting 4 QB hits, 2 pass defenses, a forced fumble, and a half sack in the playoffs thus far.
However, the team will have its toughest test yet against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
