The Kansas City Chiefs defense has a lot of star power for 2017 with some big potential for some record breaking seasons.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a defensive strategy that relies on forcing turnovers and stopping teams in the redzone. It is how they kept in the game against Pittsburgh in January. If healthy, the Chiefs field a very dangerous pass rush and a ball hawking secondary. They struggle against the run, even when great tackler Derrick Johnson doesn't have an achilles injury.
The key for the 2017 season will be whether or not the defense can stop such potent offenses as Oakland, Dallas, New England, and Pittsburgh. If these predictions are close, the defense will be dominant against the pass again.
With that in mind, let's look at the stars on the Kansas City defense and see what they'll do in 2017 — according to me at least.
Marcus Peters – 40 tackles, 1 sack, 7 INTs, 1 TD, 2 forced fumbles
Peters took a step back in 2016, but it wasn't his fault. Quarterbacks took notice of his great rookie season and stopped throwing so much in his direction. He still managed to prey on weak quarterbacks like Brock Osweiler and Ryan FItzpatrick for two picks each. He did not, however, find the end zone. That changes in 2017 with one more interception and a house call to boot. His first career sack will also come this season against a divisional foe.
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Eric Berry – 59 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 INTs, 2 TDs, 2 forced fumbles
Eric Berry will continue to cement his status as one of the best safeties in the NFL. His 2016 netted him another All-Pro selection and this season will be more of the same. Berry has become a leader on the Chiefs' defense both vocally and with his play. There is no reason not to expect a high level of play this next year. Berry will play up some to get his sacks and he hits hard enough to really jar the ball loose. He's got his money, so he will now go out and prove his worth to the fans of Kansas City.
Justin Houston – 57 tackles, 23.5 sacks, 1 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, 1 safety
This is the year for Justin Houston. The poor guy could not quite get right after his knee surgery in February. I was amazed that he played at all in 2016, but the expectations were really high after the Denver game. He played well, but not up to the standards he set in 2014 where he nearly broke Michael Strahan's single season sack record.
I think he breaks it this year. The main reason isn't because he will be healthier, but because Dee Ford has really stepped it up. Ford on the opposite side forces offenses to pick a poison. They will get it wrong often enough to give Houston a ton of opportunities.
Derrick Johnson – 78 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 INTs, 1 forced fumble
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Johnson will probably miss the first two or three games of the season. Even after that he will likely be eased into the role he had before. This will slightly lower his tackle totals but his sacks and interception rate will stay on track. I don't think he will get a touchdown this season, but his interceptions will come at key moments to swing a couple of games. The Chiefs run defense will also improve just enough this season to limit guys like Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliot from taking over their respective games.
Bennie Logan – 31 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 safety
Logan becomes the replacement for Dontari Poe, who left in free agency. The Chiefs will miss Poe's offensive prowess more than his defensive skills because Logan will fill the middle nicely. Logan has a better skill set for pass rushing than Poe did, so he should have more sacks. However, he isn't as big as Poe, so the run defense will likely have to come from elsewhere. Logan will get the force a lot of quarterbacks into the arms of Houston when he doesn't get to them himself. For his efforts, he will record a safety in a blowout against Philadelphia.
Chris Jones – 26 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
Jones had an impressive rookie season despite not seeing the field much in the first quarter of the year. His pass rushing is already where it needs to be and his second year will improve his play recognition. He will get a Pro Bowl nomination in 2017 and there will be yet another solid player drafted in the first few rounds by Kansas City.
