Houston Texans

Chiefs Film Room: It's a pick party!

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 25, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Eric Berry (29) intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Jalin Marshall (89) during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

We’re only three weeks into the season and it feels as though we’ve seen three different Chiefs teams take the field.

We have the “oh no, not this again” Chiefs who took the field for the first half against the Chargers and the whole Texans game. There’s the offensive juggernaut Chiefs who decided the second half of the Chargers game was as good a time as any to show up.

This past Sunday, we got the circa-2013 Chiefs – you know, the team with a defense that basically won games single-handedly. And oh man, was it a sight to behold.

That 2013 Chiefs defense absolutely feasted on turnovers, yet they never came close to eating as well this Chiefs team did last Sunday. And it’s not like these picks came in garbage time, the Jets had a shot even after the first couple interceptions.

While that statement should be slightly disconcerting for Reid and the offense, let’s use this time to relive some of the picks from the Chiefs dismantling of one Ryan Fitzpatrick (aka Mr. $12,000,000).

Interception #1

Cause: Peters & Pressure

The Chiefs play their typical man coverage on this play, with Parker covering the middle of the field and Berry patrolling deep. At the top of the screen you have Peters in off-coverage, which allows him to keep tabs on both the receiver and the quarterback’s eyes.

The first thing to notice at the snap is that Fitzpatrick only ever looks to his receivers on the right side of the field. With the receiver running down the seam bracketed by the safeties, Peters knows there’s a decent shot the ball is coming to his guy.

The second thing is that the much-maligned pass rush does a solid job of collapsing the pocket. The pressure is coming from all sides so there’s nowhere for Fitzpatrick to step up and buy more time. Finally, the receiver runs a subpar dig route which Peters is more than happy to jump.

And when there’s a jump-ball between Peters and Jalin Marshall (not even the good Marshall), is there really any question who’s making the play?

Cause: DJ’s IQ > Fitzpatrick’s IQ

Interception #2

This is probably my favorite pick of the six because it highlights everything DJ brings to the table. The Chiefs are showing single-high man coverage once again. However, at the snap of the ball the linebackers drop into coverage and this is where we witness peak DJ savvy.

At the snap, DJ takes a couple steps towards the flat as if he has responsibility for the running back. However, Hali is actually in man coverage on the back so this is DJ purely laying the bait for Fitz. Fitz happily takes said bait and believes he has the slot receiver in one-on-one coverage. While Fitzpatrick is getting ready to deliver the ball, DJ slides back into his proper zone in the middle of the field, right underneath the slot receiver. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Interception #4

Cause: Ryan “Pay Me My Money” Fitzpatrick

It seems like the Chiefs are giving more and more responsibility to Steven Nelson as the weeks go on. On this play, he’s lined up outside against Brandon Marshall at the top of your screen, with Peters in the slot. Sure, Marshall wasn’t 100% coming into the game, but it’s still a vote of confidence by Sutter in my eyes.

Regardless of who was in coverage on this play, Fitzpatrick did his absolute best to ensure they didn’t give up a catch. You see, the Jets receivers executed this pick-play fairly well and Marshall gets pretty open as a result. A good-to-average QB sees the defender get caught up in the pick, and throws the ball with some anticipation at the very least. Fitzpatrick, especially on this day, was not a remotely good or average QB. Not only does he deliver this ball late, allowing Nelson enough time to recover back to Marshall, he sails it in a way that would make Tim Tebow proud!

When you force eight turnovers in a single game, there’s a good chance a couple are of the gift-wrapped variety. Throw in the fact it’s Fitzpatrick under center, and you have Christmas in September.

Interception #5

Cause: Derrick Johnson – The Ageless Wonder

How often can you say that a GM made a smart move by giving a 32-year old linebacker a multi-year extension? Because I’m fairly confident we’ll be saying that about John Dorsey extending DJ this past offseason.

Pre-snap, we see him line up between the DE and OLB at the top of the screen, looking like he’s bringing the heat. Ball’s snapped and it turns out he has man responsibility on the running back, who’s running a wheel-route. Not only that, but the Jets have the WR on that side set a pick for good measure.

So what does DJ do? Oh nothing, except slip by the blatant WR pick, close the gap on the RB, and get his head turned around so he can see the ball coming right at him. It was just another day at the office for the Chiefs all-time leading tackler. Oh, and he also took it all the way back for six to officially ice the game – no biggie.

Last Sunday we saw it all from the Chiefs defense: pressure forcing bad throws, tight coverage across the board, and playmakers making plays. We knew from the outset of the season that this unit was going to take its lumps. But seeing them put together a dominating performance this early in the season is incredibly encouraging.

And with the Steelers up next, there’s no better opportunity for this defense to solidify the fact that our preseason skepticism was unfounded.