The Kansas City Chiefs defense may not be receiving as many headlines or accolades as last season. But for what it is worth, Kansas City still sits 3rd in the league in yards allowed and 3rd in points allowed. It has been a recent stretch filled with more takeaways in a short span, as well. Thanks to Jameis Winston and C.J. Stroud, the Chiefs have tallied a combined six interceptions in their last two outings.
Wednesday's Christmas Day game presents a unique matchup for the Chiefs defense. The Pittsburgh Steelers want to play methodically under a head coach like Mike Tomlin. If they can protect the football, run it effectively and hit on some explosive passes down the field, Pittsburgh is generally going to be in a fair spot. But over the last month, some of the outings for the Steelers' offense has been choppy. That includes the play of quarterback Russell Wilson.
How does the Wilson play style affect Kansas City's defensive gameplan in Pittsburgh? Plus, which area can the Chiefs not afford to get lost when facing the Steelers offense?
Wilson Has Varying Results In Recent Meetings With Chiefs
After joining the Denver Broncos and the AFC West, Wilson faced the Chiefs' defense four times over the last couple of years. His games were all over the place when it came to his overall performance. While much of his Broncos tenure is seen as pitiful, Wilson did have a couple of quality games against Kansas City while with Denver.
In the Broncos' first win in forever against Kansas City last season, Wilson was effective by using his legs to maneuver in the pocket and extend plays. There were also some throws in the intermediate to deep part of the field. On these reps, Chiefs defenders were simply reacting late and could not make plays on the football. At Kansas City a couple of years ago, Wilson made things interesting with his ability to check it down underneath and by utilizing his legs again.
When he struggled against the Chiefs the last two years, interceptions and not seeing the field well were the main issues. Wilson had some interceptions thrown directly to the defense when he had time to throw. In terms of not seeing the field, the passer was unable to recognize where pressure was coming from and failed to move in the pocket correctly.
Chiefs Recent Pass Rush Performance Will Be Vital For K.C.
As the regular season begins to wind down, some of the elements that make Kansas City dangerous are beginning to come to fruition. Part of that is the recent pass-rush performance of the Chiefs pass rush. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was effective in running some defensive back blitzes the last couple of weeks. And finally, Kansas City has begun to get home more consistently.
If they continue this run on Christmas Day, that could be a vital difference against a quarterback like Russell Wilson. Wilson has not fared well against pressure this season. According to Pro Football Focus, the signal-caller has a pressure-to-sack rate of 20.7 percent. That ranks 36th in the NFL this year. The amount of sacks Patrick Mahomes has taken has been a huge topic, due to it being a new career high. Yet, the rate at which Wilson has been sacked is pretty stunning, given he did not play until Week 7. He has been sacked in every game he has appeared in while averaging 2.67 sacks taken per game.
Even though Wilson used his legs to his advantage against Kansas City recently, his escapability and ability to extend plays are not like other top quarterbacks that the Chiefs are used to seeing. Wilson does not possess the size and power of Josh Allen when trying to bring him down. The Steelers quarterback also does not have the same quickness as, say, Lamar Jackson or even an impressively nimble Bo Nix.
Deep Ball Will Be X-Factor For Wilson, Steelers Offense
Not many teams have attacked the Chiefs deep very consistently. You see a lot of passing attacks try to make quick decisions and force Kansas City to tackle immediately in space. Others will look for crossing routes, deep over routes, or horizontal stretch concepts to possibly confuse the Chiefs in the middle of the field. But for years, Wilson has been able to flip momentum with an effective deep ball.
That is something that has still stuck with him late in his career while with Pittsburgh. And overall, the Steelers have a cast of weapons that can win by imposing themselves physically down the field. If George Pickens is back on Wednesday, that will be a massive test for Kansas City defense backs, because of he and Wilson's connection. But even beyond that, Pittsburgh has largely relied on bigger-bodied, long-armed pass catchers to win one-on-one when Wilson launches deep.
If the Chiefs can stay in phase and not get lost in space, this defense can help Kansas City clinch the AFC's number one seed. However, Wilson can surely make things difficult if the Chiefs begin to get confused and beat over the top. Not many passers have the capability of hitting on deep shots as often as Wilson still can.
