Defense Wins Championships
The Kansas City Chiefs, led by defensive mastermind Steve Spagnuolo, are proving that age-old football wisdom true once again. While Patrick Mahomes dazzles with his seemingly impossible, game-winning plays, Spagnuolo’s defense is just as responsible for Kansas City’s success. With yet another AFC Championship victory in the books, the Chiefs are now on the verge of their third consecutive Super Bowl title.
In the defining moment of their latest triumph, Spagnuolo’s defense delivered a game-clinching blitz that sealed the Bills’ fate. Facing a critical fourth-and-five, the Chiefs didn’t just pressure Buffalo’s quarterback, Josh Allen—they sent two unblocked defenders straight at him, obliterating the Bills’ hopes in an instant.
How did Spagnuolo set up such a devastating defensive play? And what makes his schemes so effective? Let’s break it down.
The Setup: A Season-Long Deception
Spagnuolo’s brilliance lies in his ability to disguise defensive looks throughout a game, baiting offenses into predictable responses before striking at the perfect moment.
From the very first drive of the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs subtly manipulated the Bills’ offensive line. Kansas City repeatedly positioned linebacker Nick Bolton near the line of scrimmage, forcing Buffalo’s center to slide protection his way. Given Bolton’s history—he rushed the quarterback 114 times this season, ranking ninth among all linebackers—the Bills had every reason to account for him in pass protection.
Fast-forward to the final drive, and Spagnuolo had the Bills right where he wanted them. The Chiefs once again aligned Bolton in his usual spot, prompting Buffalo to shift protection in his direction. But this time, Spagnuolo unleashed his true plan: two blitzing defenders coming from the opposite side, catching the Bills completely off guard.
The Power of the Two-High Safety Scheme
At the heart of Spagnuolo’s defense is his heavy use of two-high safety coverages, a philosophy that provides unmatched flexibility. By keeping two safeties deep instead of one, the Chiefs can seamlessly switch between various coverages—cover two, cover four, cover one, and even disguised cover three—while maintaining a safety net against deep passes.
This two-high approach also enables the Chiefs to execute some of the most unpredictable blitzes in the NFL. One of their trademarks is cornerback blitzing, an unusual tactic that becomes feasible because their deep safeties can rotate down to cover unguarded receivers.
Take the final, game-winning blitz against Buffalo. Cornerback Trent McDuffie, initially lined up over a receiver, became a free runner at Josh Allen. This wasn’t a last-second decision—it was a calculated play built on Spagnuolo’s philosophy of deceptive blitzing and disguised coverage.
The Trade-Off: Stopping the Run Without Extra Defenders
Of course, using two high safeties comes with a downside—it weakens run defense. With fewer defenders in the box, offenses theoretically have favorable numbers in the running game.
Spagnuolo counters this disadvantage through discipline and teamwork. Instead of attacking gaps aggressively, the Chiefs’ defensive linemen play a gap-and-a-half technique, holding up offensive linemen to free up their linebackers. This allows Nick Bolton, the Chiefs’ tackling machine, to roam freely and make plays.
The Chiefs also adjust their defensive fronts frequently, sometimes shifting to a five-man front to compensate for their two-high structure. This forces offenses into unfavorable blocking matchups and prevents easy rushing lanes.
Disrupting Quarterbacks: A Masterclass in Defensive Manipulation
Spagnuolo isn’t just playing chess at the line of scrimmage—he’s also manipulating quarterbacks’ pre-snap reads.
Most quarterbacks decide where to go with the ball before the snap based on defensive alignment. Great quarterbacks adjust after the snap, but Spagnuolo makes even this difficult by constantly changing the picture post-snap.
One example: Against Houston, rookie sensation C.J. Stroud thought he had an easy one-on-one matchup with his top receiver. But just as he prepared to make his throw, safety Justin Reid sprinted over to double-cover the receiver, leading to an incompletion.
Spagnuolo’s defense does this repeatedly—flashing one coverage before the snap and shifting into something completely different after the ball is snapped. The result? Quarterbacks hesitate, receivers struggle to adjust, and chaos ensues.
The Ultimate Aggressive Defense
The Chiefs play press coverage more than any other team in the league, forcing receivers off their timing. They also use an aggressive blitzing strategy, including green dog blitzes—a high-risk, high-reward approach where defenders responsible for covering a running back will instead blitz if the back stays in to block.
Every little detail in Spagnuolo’s system adds up, making it one of the most complex and effective defensive schemes in the NFL. Whether it’s safety positioning, corner blitzes, disguised doubles, or Nick Bolton’s pre-snap movements, every piece is designed to confuse, frustrate, and ultimately dominate opposing offenses.
The Eagles Are Next
Now, Spagnuolo has two weeks to prepare for the Eagles in the Super Bowl. We’ve seen him shut down Lamar Jackson. We’ve seen him outscheme the Bills. We’ve seen him dominate the 49ers.
The question isn’t if he’ll have the perfect defensive game plan. The question is how he’ll unleash it.
And if history is any indication, the Kansas City Chiefs will soon be celebrating their third straight Super Bowl victory—thanks in no small part to Steve Spagnuolo, the best defensive mind in football today.