The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense was going to be the difference maker in whether the Chiefs won against the Houston Texans in Week 14 or not. Now that the game has concluded, it’s clear that the offensive approach wasn’t enough, but defensively, fans got just about what’s advertised.
The Texans’ offense scored 20 points against the Chiefs’ defense, but if the offense were to keep the game closer, this game felt winnable for the Chiefs due to their defensive performance. At the end of the day, it wasn’t enough, but these three Chiefs deserve their flowers for a job well done on Sunday.
According to Pro Football Focus’s Premium Statistic feature, several Chiefs defenders had what it took to be on this Top 3 list, but only three could reign supreme.
3. DE George Karlaftis
Just beating out linebacker Nick Bolton for the top three spot on the list, George Karlaftis had a strong performance against the Texans. Playing in 56 defensive snaps, Karlaftis had five total tackles, three solo tackles, one quarterback sack, one tackle for loss, and four stops.
In the eyes of PFF, Karlaftis earned an overall grade of 78, with a run defense grade of 73.9, a tackling grade of 28.1, a pass rush grade of 68.2, and a coverage grade of 61.5. Things could be improved upon, but for what it’s worth, Karlaftis left it all out on the field.
2. LB Drue Tranquill
Drue Tranquill finished with the second-most tackles on the night against the Texans, bringing down 11 in total, four being solos. Additionally, Tranquill had one tackle for loss, three total pressures, and five stops.
According to PFF, Tranquil earned an overall grade of 78.2, just slightly better than Karlaftis. Along with the overall grade, Tranquill had a run defense grade of 79, a tackling grade of 81.4, a pass rush grade of 58.8, and a coverage grade of 65.4.
1. DT Chris Jones
The veteran in Chris Jones came to life to begin the second half of the game, as that latter half performance easily made him the best Chiefs defender of the game. Finishing with two total tackles, one quarterback sack, one tackle for loss, and eight pressures, Jones looked like the Jones of old.
According to PFF, Jones’ overall grade sits at 90.3 in Week 14, with a run defense grade of 58.6, a tackling grade of 25.8, and a pass rush grade of 92.4.
