2015 Defensive Review: How Did the Chiefs Stack Up Against Everyone Else?

Stats, rankings and a game-by-game look at the defense in 2015

Feb 04, 2016 at 10:00 PM

The ability to come back from a 1-5 start all the way to their first playoff win in more than two decades will be one of the many ways the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs will be defined in franchise history.

That comeback, which started at home with a 23-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, was led by the performance of the defense, which allowed just 12.9 points per game over the final 12 games of the season.

Week	Opponent	Result	Points Allowed
Week 7	Pittsburgh Steelers	W	13
Week 8	Detroit Lions	W	10
Week 10	Denver Broncos	W	13
Week 11	San Diego Chargers	W	3
Week 12	Buffalo Bills	W	22
Week 13	Oakland Raiders	W	20
Week 14	San Diego Chargers	W	3
Week 15	Baltimore Ravens	W	14
Week 16	Cleveland Browns	W	13
Week 17	Oakland Raiders	W	17
Wild Card	Houston Texans	W	0
Divisional	New England Patriots	L	27

For a complete breakdown of the defense in a game-by-game look, click **here.**

Here's a breakdown of where the Chiefs finished in different statistical categories throughout the regular season:

Key Defensive Rankings for Chiefs in 2015
Category	Rank	Value	NFL Average
Offensive Points Allowed	3	273	340
Total Yards Allowed (per game)	7	329.3	352.7
Passing Yards Allowed (per game)	9	231.1	243.8
Rushing Yards Allowed (per game)	8	98.2	108.8
Passer Rating Against Blitz	4	73.74	89.96
Average Starting Field Position	3	24.6	27.5
Red Zone 3rd down conversions	5	32	40.2
3rd and 4th-and-1 conversions	1	44.4	66.6
Pass completions of 20 yards	4T	46	53
Yards after Catch Allowed	3	1,626	1,926
Percentage of 1st down plays gaining 4 yards	3	42.9	46.8
Third down conversion percentage	2	33.2	39
Opponent Plays of 20 yards	6	55	63
Quick Strike Drives - Points in less than 4 plays	2	15	44
Sacks	4	47	37
Takeaways	5	29	23.1
Interceptions	2	22	13.6
Takeaway Points Scored	3	119	71

Here are the top individual performances and plays against the Chiefs this season:

2015 Opponent Individual Single-Game Highs
Passes Attempted	48	Derek Carr	at Oakland	12/6
Passes Completed	31	Derek Carr	at Oakland	12/6
Passing Yards	333	Aaron Rodgers	at Green Bay	9/28
Touchdown Passes	5	Aaron Rodgers	at Green Bay	9/28
Pass Receptions	9	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston	9/13
Receiving Yards	158	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo	11/29
Touchdown Receptions	3	Randall Cobb	at Green Bay	9/28
Rushing Yards	121	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh	10/25
Rushing Attempts	26	Adrian Peterson	at Minnesota	10/18
Rushing Touchdowns	3	Jeremy Hill	at Cincinnati	10/4
Yards From Scrimmage	158	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo	11/29
Combined Net Yards	158	Sammy Watkins	Buffalo	11/29

Here are the longest plays against the defense this season:

2015 Opponent Longest Plays
Run From Scrimmage	42	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh	10/25
Touchdown Run	13	Giovani Bernard	at Cincinnati	10/4
Pass Reception	55	Brandon Tate	at Cincinnati	10/4
Touchdown Reception	55	Brandon Tate	at Cincinnati	10/4
Interception Return	46	Nate Orchard	Cleveland	12/27
Punt Return	17	Kaelin Clay	at Baltimore	12/20
Kick Return	70	Taiwan Jones	Oakland	1/3
Punt	67	Kevin Huber	at Cincinnati	10/4
Field Goal	54	Brandon McManus	Denver	9/17

The defense was particularly dominant in division games, during which they held opposing quarterbacks to well below their season averages.

Against AFC West quarterbacks, the Chiefs defense allowed just 58.8 percent of passes to be completed for an average of just 225 yards with 7 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

That's a significant difference than how they fared in the rest of their games, during which they completed 63.7 percent of their passes for an average of 282 yards per game with 76 touchdowns and 38 interceptions.

At 5-1, the Chiefs had the best record within the AFC West division, but their 11-5 overall record was one game shy of surpassing Denver (12-4) for the AFC West division title. It was the first time the Chiefs won at least five games in the division since 2003.

The Chiefs had five defensive players end up with Pro Bowl honors this season in linebackers Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, as well as defensive backs Eric Berry and Marcus Peters.

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