Chiefs fire defensive coordinator Bob Sutton

Senior NFL writer

Tue, 22 Jan 2019, 2:55 pm

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.

“Bob is a good football coach and a great person,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “He played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six seasons. I’ve said before that change can be a good thing, for both parties, and I believe that is the case here for the Chiefs and Bob. This was not an easy decision, but one I feel is in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward.”

Sutton has led the Chiefs’ defense since 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.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton walks off the field after the 29-28 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2018. (Getty Images)

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.