In their Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Kansas City Chiefs had to rely on their defense to hold on to the 17-14 victory that clinched the AFC for the first time.
Since Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, the starting lineup, were not available – Hitchens was on the reserve / COVID list and Wilson was injured – the Chiefs knew they would have to depend more on Ben Niemann to call up the defensive plays. and set them all up properly.
But in the second quarter, Niemann left the game with an injury.
“It was a bit hectic there,” Chiefs defense coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted to reporters on Thursday, “but I’m going to tell you: Matt House and Britt Reid are doing well to get the guys prepared. We knew it could happen. ”
Spagnuolo referred to three newcomers: Willie Gay Jr., second round, and the unknown players Omari Cobb and Darius Harris. The defense coordinator said that Harris – technically still a rookie because he spent the entire previous season on an injured reserve – spent that year wisely, which helped him put on the helmet with the green dot and in ‘ to jump a role for which he has not yet worked. practiced.
“He trained at the SAM lineout all week because we expected Ben to be the MIKE,” Spagnuolo said, “and then he suddenly had to switch. But he put a lot of time into things. Last year – when he was on an injured reserve – he spent a lot of time learning. I thought he was performing pretty well. From a check point of view, he did a pretty good job; this is what the MIKE linebacker should do. ”
Spagnuolo also praised Gay, who had a higher percentage of snaps on Sunday than in any game this season.
“What Willie does is play fast,” Spagnuolo remarked. “He plays fast and he’s physical – and that’s what you want in your linebackers. [But] here’s still a learning curve – I think it’s true for anyone in that particular position in the first year. And once again I go back to the off-season and whatnot, but we get him caught. He’s definitely going to see a lot of football now – and that’s a good thing for him. ”
As Hitchens remain on the reserve / COVID list – and even if they are ready to play, the Chiefs will likely rest both Wilson and Niemann against the Chargers – both Harris and Gay are expected to see plenty of playing time on Sunday. Since they participated in one of the better defenses of the season against the Hawks, Spagnuolo would love to put them on the field against a Los Angeles team that nearly knocked out the Chiefs in Week 2.