After finishing as one of the worst secondaries in the NFL last season, the Chiefs made the point to address the unit this past offseason with a slew of acquisitions.
Back in April, after the initial wave of free agency and the draft, wide receiver Keenan Allen was asked about the changes Kansas City made.
“Since you asked, it was brought up today in the locker room. We just looked at their DB (defensive backs) group, and I’ll just leave it at that. We’ve seen it,” Allen said.
From Allen’s comment and smirk on his face, he didn’t appear to be that impressed with the group on paper.
Fast forward to now, and the new pieces that the Chiefs added have made a huge difference. Kansas City hasn’t allowed 300 passing yards in a game since Week 1, and they’re allowing 221.4 yards per game, which ranks No. 8 in the NFL.
Their new-look secondary includes safety Tyrann Mathieu, cornerback Bashaud Breeland and rookie Juan Thornhill. Those three players, along with the change to the defensive coordinator, have been a much-needed boost to the defense.
Quarterback Philip Rivers threw for over 300 yards when the two teams met twice last season, including the big victory at Arrowhead Stadium, which snapped their losing streak to the Chiefs.
Even though Rivers enters Monday’s contest against Kansas City with a league-high 2,816 passing yards, it won’t be an easy task for the veteran quarterback to have that success facing a revamped secondary and a depleted offensive line.
Allen will look to back up what he had to say about Kansas City’s secondary, and get back on track after being held to less than 70 receiving yards the past seven games and find the end zone for the first time since Week 3.
