Spags gonna Spags; the Chiefs' defensive coordinator had a day against Jacksonville

Examining how Steve Spagnuolo mixed things up and kept the Jaguars off balance, and how that may look against Burrow and the Bengals.

When Chiefs fans hear “Spags gonna Spags” they know they’re about to see a very good result or a very bad one. There’s really no in between.

Kansas City’s defensive coordinator has had a mixed bag of success since joining the team in 2019. On one hand, in his first year he immediately helped lead the defense from abysmal to adequate, which was a big part of why the Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy that year. He’s generally shown a proclivity for dialing up some pressure with a defense that only has one high-level pass rusher, and he (along with his staff) have done a great job coaching up secondary players.

On the other hand, some of Spags’ weaknesses (being overly aggressive at times, tending to trust scheme over talent with snap count choices) have also been on display during certain time periods the last few years, and he’s been something of a punching bag for Chiefs fans this year. That’s a bit odd to me, as Kansas City is clearly in a “reset” year with rookies playing pivotal roles all over the field and still managed to finish the season ranked 14th in DVOA by Football Outsiders (basically defensive efficiency when accounting for opponent and situation).

That said, even the most stonehearted of Spagnuolo criticizers got a chance to watch him do some of his best stuff Saturday in overwhelming Trever Lawrence and the Jaguars blocking schemes on multiple snaps. From the first snap of the game, Spags made it clear that he was going to be coming after Lawrence early and often, utilizing his plethora of good blitzers in the secondary to cause problems.

This was the very first Jaguars offensive snap of the day, and Spagnuolo sent a zone blitz that had Justin Reid coming from the slot and Clark trying to press a receiver at the line. The pressure comes fast enough that even Lawrence’s quick throw is affected and the play goes nowhere (notice how Spags sent Gay charging out in anticipation of a throw to the spot Reid vacated).

This first snap was a preview of things to come. Let’s talk about how Spagnuolo kept Jacksonville guessing on some crucial downs Saturday, and how even though he was his typically aggressive self he also sprinkled in enough variety to make it tough on a vey sharp opposing coach and a good young QB.