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Throughout the regular season, the Chiefs’ defense helped carry the team to an 11-6 record — finishing the year No. 2 in yards allowed and points allowed.
But the unit has turned things up to a higher level in the postseason, holding the Dolphins to seven points, the Bills to 24, and the Ravens to 10 to advance to Super Bowl LVIII.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones — who has recorded four QB hits, two passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a half-sack this postseason — had some high praise for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“I still think ‘Spags’ should be up for assistant coach of the year with what he’s been able to do with this defense from last year to this year, how he was able to overcome a lot of humps [and] how he was able to force a lot of guys to grow,” Jones said. “You look at last year, we gave up a lot of big plays. [We] come back this year, and I’ll say right now, L’Jarius Sneed had an All-Pro year. He should have been an All-Pro. [No.] 22 [Trent McDuffie] had an All-Pro year.
“We can go on down the list. Those guys set the standard on the back end. We just continued [going] with [defensive line coach] Joe Cullen on the front end.”
Spagnuolo has been the Chiefs defensive coordinator since 2019, helping the club advance to four of the last five Super Bowls. He was also the Giants’ DC in 2007 when they beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII to spoil New England’s undefeated season.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chris-jones-think-steve-spagnuolo-155305408.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-29 15:53:05
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