Kansas City Chiefs defense could see a major decline to start the 2024 season

In the 2023 season, the Kansas City Chiefs showcased their defensive might, ranking among the top three defenses in the entire league. Their formidable secondary, combined with a relentless pass rush, propelled them to their third Super Bowl appearance in this era, making them a force to be reckoned with.

While the Chiefs established themselves as a defensive powerhouse in the previous season, the 2024 season presents a new set of challenges. The team may face a tough start, adding an element of suspense and intrigue to the upcoming season.

Defensive strategies often take time to mature. The Chiefs' defense, however, managed to find its form relatively quickly, a feat not every team can achieve. Consider their division rival last season, the Las Vegas Raiders. They struggled in the first half of the season, but by the end, they had transformed into a top-five defense.

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With some recent news, the Chiefs may start the season with a bad defense statistically. The NFL is supposed to release the entire NFL schedule on Wednesday, but two games have already been leaked for the Chiefs alone. As we discovered on Monday, Week 1 will be the Baltimore Ravens.

That game will be a Thursday Night Football game that opens up the season, just like the Chiefs did last season with the Detroit Lions. As for Week 2, we have now figured out that the Chiefs will play the Cincinnati Bengals coming off of a 10-day rest.

But the Chiefs will face two of the best teams in the league immediately. By the time Week 3 hits, they could be 2-0, 1-1, or even 0-2.

The Chiefs' defense will face a double blow as they confront these two elite offenses. They will be without the services of cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who has moved to the Tennessee Titans, and they may also miss Charles Omenihu as he recuperates from an ACL injury. This could potentially impact their defensive performance.

So, we could see the defense start to decline from where it ended last season. But that doesn't instantly mean the defense is bad. This unit can still be very good.

Related: Chiefs' Week 1 betting odds against the Ravens are the inverse of the AFC title game