Getty Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed during the 2022 preseason.
It’s important not to overshadow how well the defense played in the Kansas City Chiefs Week 3 loss against the Indianapolis Colts — aside from the needless Chris Jones penalty.
The Chiefs’ defense held the Colts to 259 total yards and 3.8 yards per play. They did that by holding superstar running back Jonathan Taylor to 71 yards and sacking quarterback Matt Ryan five times with relentless pressure in the backfield all afternoon.
One of those sacks came courtesy of defensive back L’Jarius Sneed and the third-year pro’s stellar performance was not lost on Arrowhead Pride media member Pete Sweeney, who called the Week 3 defeat “one of the best efforts of [Sneed’s] career.”
L’Jarius Sneed Does It All in Colts Loss
If you dive into Sneed’s contributions, he really was all over the field in Indianapolis. Pro Football Focus determined that the cornerback was on the field for every single defensive snap against the Colts — 71 total in Week 3 — logging 41 in coverage, 26 in run defense, and four as a pass rusher.
Sneed earned a 91.5 grade for those four snaps bringing the heat on Ryan (one sack, one QB hit) but he also held up well elsewhere. The former fourth-round pick accounted for seven total tackles with two defensive stops and a forced fumble.
In coverage, he did allow three receptions but contained those catches to a low total of 33 yards. The Colts did not look his way often, which is generally taken as a compliment at the NFL level.
Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire agreed with Sweeney, listing Sneed as the top player within the “stock up” section of his Week 3 stock report.
“Another strong game from Sneed in the secondary,” he wrote. “He is quickly building a name for himself around the league. The Chiefs’ third-year corner was efficient in coverage and rushing the quarterback, with his intense first-half sack of Colts QB Matt Ryan. He set the tone and finished with seven total tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.”
Sneed will look to keep things rolling in the Week 4 Super Bowl rematch against Tom Brady.
Rookie CB Jaylen Watson Continues to Shine
As the Los Angeles Chargers did in Week 2, the Colts attempted to pick on rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson in Week 3 — but he held his own.
On nine targets, Watson allowed five catches for 56 yards and earned a 70.5 coverage grade from PFF. In general, the seventh-rounder has really stepped up to the plate after the injury to Trent McDuffie, winning the starting job over fellow rookie Joshua Williams.
Among 53 CBs with at least 100 coverage snaps, former Wendy’s employee of the month @JaylenWatson12 ranks 8th with a 56.3 in passer rating allowed. The next rookie on that list is Derek Stingley Jr ranked at 21.
This morning, Arrowhead Live tweeted that “Among 53 CBs with at least 100 coverage snaps, former Wendy’s employee of the month @JaylenWatson12 ranks 8th with a 56.3 in passer rating allowed. The next rookie on that list is Derek Stingley Jr ranked at 21.”
Watson is in rare company, outperforming prospects that were picked several rounds above him. He’ll look to keep it going as the Chiefs head to Tampa Bay to take on a Buccaneers receiving corps that will get back Mike Evans following his one-game suspension.
It will be interesting to see which cornerback defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo chooses to line up with Evans. The Bucs will also hope to get back veteran WRs Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, who both missed Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers with injuries.