Chiefs fire defensive coordinator Bob Sutton

Source: MSN.com

The Kansas City Chiefs have taken their first step toward rectifying the league’s 31st-ranked defense, as they announced the firing of defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday.

Sutton has led the Chiefs’ defense since coach Andy Reid took over before the 2013 season. In 2018, the Chiefs ranked second-to-last in rushing yards, a flaw that came back to bite them in their 37-31 AFC championship game loss to the New England Patriots. In that contest, the Patriots controlled the clock by a staggering margin — 44 minutes to 20 — by pounding the ball to the tune of 176 rushing yards.

The Chiefs’ defense also allowed quarterback Tom Brady to convert three third-and-10s on the Patriots’ game-winning scoring drive. Add that to the fact the Chiefs failed to generate significant pressure against Brady — who was hit only once and not sacked — and it added up to the latest postseason failure by the Chiefs’ defense.

The Chiefs’ 2017 season ended in the wild-card round when the defense blew a 21-3 second half lead to the Tennessee Titans at home. And in 2013, the Chiefs’ season ended when they blew a 38-10 second-half lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round.