The Kansas City Chiefs have been a dominant team for the past couple of seasons, and a big reason for that is that they have a defense that shows up in big moments, and one they can rely on. Most of that has to be credited to Steve Spagnuolo and his defensive schemes, but the players deserve credit too, as they show up week in and week out.

Even when Patrick Mahomes and their offense begin to falter, no team can get a large enough lead on them due to their defense to count them out in any game. The Super Bowl was an exception to this, as on the biggest stage, the Chiefs’ defense couldn’t handle the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense.

However, it wasn’t entirely their fault, as the Chiefs’ offense couldn’t get going until the game was already out of reach. They weren’t playing complementary football, and that results in them being blown out on the biggest stage of the NFL.

Heading into the off-season, their priorities were clear: their offensive line needed to get addressed if they wanted any chance at continuing their dynasty. Yet, their defense got exposed as well, and with a lot of free agents set to leave their defense, the Chiefs had a lot on their hands.

Now that free agency has settled down and the draft is over with, it’s safe to say that the Chiefs took the lesson they learned to heart and made a ton of moves to address their weaknesses. They addressed their offensive line with their first-round pick, but then focused heavily on inserting some youth into their defense, who’s admittedly getting a bit old.

Their second-round pick of Omarr Norman-Lott has a lot of potential to grow into an impactful player for them, and Ashton Gillette and Nohl Williams similarly have an opportunity to make an impact right away.

Heading into next season, they addressed both sides of the ball in big ways and explained why their stock is on the rise, according to some analysts. The Chiefs’ defense will return to form after being torched by the Eagles in the Super Bowl, and they’ll play with a fire in their belly all of next season to make up for it.