Steve Spagnuolo is stressing ‘eye discipline’ to Chiefs’ pass defense

The Kansas City Chiefs have continued to win through every obstacle they have faced this season. One of those was when starting cornerback Jaylen Watson was lost to injury, which shifted the defensive lineup enough to expose holes in coverage.

Still, the team is 6-1 since then. And Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers was one of the secondary’s strongest performances in weeks — even though one-off weaknesses in coverage nearly overshadowed holding Los Angeles to only 194 passing yards.

Just as he has for the past month, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo acknowledges that eliminating explosive passing plays is a primary goal.

“Last week, we played a really good first half,” he noted on Thursday. “Then the two drives in the second half, they scored.

“One was on a defensive pass interference, which Justin Reid would tell you he can play better. [Then] we had a play on a second-and-16 that I thought Chamarri Conner defended pretty well; he just didn’t make the play on the tight end. Otherwise, it’s third-and-16; maybe we get off the field [and] they kick a field goal.

“It’s that close,” he concluded.

Spagnuolo then detailed what he’s emphasizing with his defensive backfield.

“I began yesterday’s meeting with eye discipline,” he told reporters. “Back-end guys get their eyes tested. Play-action passes are supposed to test the eyes — they want you to think they’re running the football. We’ve been harping on details and discipline... When you play back there at linebacker or defensive back, it is all about the eyes. It begins there.”

 Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt is on the same page with his boss: focusing on eye control and speed while pedaling.

“If I’m a nickel, [I need to] make sure I play from the proper angles,” he explained. “It’s just little things we need to correct... This is probably the most explosive passes we’ve given up since I’ve been here.

“Hopefully, all that is going to taper down from this point forward [as we are] getting the guys locked back in. Sometimes you’re going to be derailed — and you have to understand what was the cause of that derailment.”

Meanwhile, the coaching staff and front office have been making moves. In the last two games, cornerback Joshua Williams has been on the outside more often than Nazeeh Johnson. In that same stretch, the team met with — and signed — veteran cornerback Steven Nelson to the practice squad.

These efforts to find reliability on the outside could help star cornerback McDuffie, who has been limited to playing solely on the perimeter since Watson’s injury. Merritt sees Williams’ ascension as significant.

“Josh is a long, big guy that we have used before,” he observed, “so I think that Josh is going to be the perfect guy that we need to be out there — with his length and his ability to go out and play versus some of these wideouts we’re getting ready to face.”

 Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

The Chiefs’ complex scheme is not always straight man coverage, but many of the explosive plays the team has allowed have seemed to come from one-on-one matchups. Merritt thinks the unit has room to grow in those situations.

“When you’re dealing with man coverage, these guys are still learning each and every week,” he said, “because every receiver brings a different release and a different flair; no two receivers release the same. So [I’m] constantly teaching these guys how (and what) to look for — and switching up some techniques. I wouldn’t say we have been great at it — but I think it’s always a work in progress.”

As Kansas City players continue working on these details, Spagnuolo would like to press an easy button: earning more takeaways. His unit has recorded only three turnovers in the seven games without Watson. Spagnuolo sees that as part of the problem.

“If you were saying, ‘What would you like to change the most?’ it would be to jack up the turnovers,” he told his listeners.

Against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon, the defense could have that opportunity. Only three NFL teams have more giveaways than Cleveland — including nine interceptions by quarterback Jameis Winston since Week 8. That’s the most of any quarterback in that period.

Even if the Chiefs’ defense gives up some long completions, forcing some turnovers could make a real difference. On Sunday, watch for the back end to pounce on those opportunities.