Pass Rush Shines As Chiefs Defeat Arizona, 26-14
November 13, 2018 | Sports,
In a rare showcase, the Kansas City Chiefs defense out-shined the offense. Chiefs defenders sacked Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen a total of 5 times.
The amount of criticism the defense has faced must have lit a fire under them. Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey got his first sack in over a month in the fourth quarter. The ever-inconsistent safety Ron Parker got his first sack of the season, with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was pulling out many different blitz schemes- sometimes blitzing safeties like Parker- and sometimes just sending the regular four man rush.
The return of star linebacker Justin Houston helped immensely. Houston did not register a sack, but he was getting attention all game long. Houston was double teamed for the majority of the fourth quarter, which opened the door for other pass rushers to get to Rosen.
Defensive end Chris Jones had 2 sacks, making this his sixth consecutive game with a sack. Jones has been incredibly consistent this season. With his presence being felt each week, teams are going to have to figure out how to stop him, Justin Houston and Dee Ford.
The Cardinals showed how to stop Houston from getting to the quarterback: Double team him. But that opened the door for linebacker Dee Ford to get to Rosen repeatedly. Seemingly every play in the fourth quarter, Ford blew past Cardinals right tackle Andre Smith and ended up near Rosen. Ford finally sacked Rosen on a fourth down, giving the Chiefs the ball and allowing them to make Arizona use their remaining timeouts.
While Arizona stopped Houston in the pass rush, he still made an impact. He intercepted a screen pass in the fourth quarter, halting the Cardinals’ momentum. Cornerback Steven Nelson also had a fourth quarter interception, which sealed the game for Kansas City. Nelson has had no mercy for rookie quarterbacks in the fourth quarter, as he also picked off Browns QB Baker Mayfield in clutch time last week.
The Chiefs defense as a whole hit Josh Rosen 13 times on Sunday. Cardinals offensive line coach Ray Brown may want to consider not letting the future of the franchise get crushed repeatedly. Dee Ford led the Chiefs with four QB hits, which is no surprise since he turned Andre Smith into a turnstile.
The Chiefs offense left a bit to be desired this week; mostly because they didn’t score 30+ points as everyone has become accustomed to. The Cardinals held Kansas City to a season low 26 points. Which is impressive for Arizona, as they held their own against elite competition.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes felt the same pain as Rosen; Mahomes was sacked 5 times as well. Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones played the Arizona equivalent of Ford, as Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher took the role of Smith. Jones sacked Mahomes twice, and Fisher got the blame for it. In his defense, he was attempting to block arguably the best defensive end in the NFC one on one. It was a good game to be a defensive linemen named Jones, as Chandler and Chris combined for four sacks.
Despite the pressure, Mahomes had a solid game. He was 21 for 28 with 249 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. It wasn’t Mahomes’ best work, but it was enough to get the job done- which is all Chiefs’ fans can ask for.
Running back Kareem Hunt had a decent day, rushing 16 times for 71 yards. Hunt also gave Chiefs fans a scare, when he went to hurdle a Cardinals defender alike he Broncos safety Justin Simmons. Cardinals safety Budda Baker was not fooled, and denied Hunt’s hurdle attempt.
Chiefs wide receiver and temporary CBS cameraman Tyreek Hill had an amazing day. Hill caught 7 passes for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hill stole the show on his second touchdown, when he jumped into the stands and took over the CBS camera. Using a prop in a celebration is not allowed, so Hill was penalized.
With this history was made- Hill became the first NFL player to film himself being penalized.
The Chiefs improve to 9-1 with this victory. The Chargers are keeping pace close behind after defeating the Raiders. Next week, the Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Rams in a potential Monday Night Super Bowl preview. The game will take place in Mexico City and be broadcasted on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 7:15 Pm.
Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu