Timely stops; The "new" Chiefs defense passed its first test at all the right moments

The revamped defense looked faster and more physical than it did last year, and made a few key stops against the Cardinals to help put (and keep) the game out of reach.

We’ll talk about Patrick Mahomes being a fire-breathing dragon (along with the rest of the Chiefs’ offense being frighteningly efficient) later. BELIEVE me, we will.

But right now, in the hours following Kansas City trouncing Arizona 44-21 (in a game that was 37-7 and OVER before the 3rd quarter ended), I have something else in mind. Something that was significantly less of a sure thing than Mahomes and company being great, but may prove nearly as important as the 2022 season plays out.

I want to talk about the Chiefs’ defense Sunday, for three reasons. First, because the defensive performance by Kansas City had a large role in them comfortably walking away from the Cardinals. Second, the defense was a large question mark coming into the game with so many new faces. And third, the defense succeeded in situations where it didn’t last year (and in 2020), and that feels potentially important moving forward.

It’s worth noting that this is just a single game (duh), and the Cardinals were missing their two best wide receivers (double duh), but the way the defense was succeeding from the very first snap of the game is something worth talking about.

This snap is interesting for multiple reasons, and it’s a good example of something that (at least for Week 1) looked different for the Chief in 2022. Let’s talk about that, along how the defense’s situational success (in places it failed the last few years) aided the offense in blowing out a vastly outgunned Cardinals squad.