Spagnuolo’s Chiefs Were Head of Class in Newest Next Gen Stats Category

Chiefs led NFL in tackling, including astounding number of efficient individual performances

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) during the first half of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kansas City finished an incredible 12-0 in one-score games this past season, including the AFC Championship victory over Buffalo. Next Gen Stats has spotlighted a major reason why.

The Chiefs finished as the NFL’s best tackling team with a 94.6-percent grade. Using an AI model developed prior to the season in conjunction with Amazon Web Services, Next Gen Stats created a metric called tackle probability. Beginning in 2024, the league tracked the estimated ability of all 11 defenders making a tackle for every tenth of a second on each snap.

Steve Spagnolo’s defense was head of the class. Accounting for metrics like tackle opportunities, missed-tackle opportunities and missed-tackle-yards lost, the Chiefs were consistently the most fundamentally sound and most efficient unit. And the data showed two eye-popping results.

First, Leo Chenal finished with more forced fumbles (three) than missed tackles (two). The linebacker also blocked a field goal with no time remaining to preserve a win over Denver, and blocked another kick in a postseason win over Houston.

Second, among Chiefs with 25-or-more tackle opportunities, an absurd 10 players converted at least 90 percent. That’s two more than any other NFL club. Chenal, Mike Pennel, Michael Danna, Chris Jones, Nazeeh Johnson, Bryan Cook, Christian Roland-Wallace, Jaden Hicks, Joshua Williams and Trent McDuffie comprised that sterling group.

NFL teams and agents now have another measurement to determine player worth. That’s important in cases like Nick Bolton. A stalwart in the middle since he entered the league in 2021, Bolton led the Chiefs with 106 tackles in 2024. However, according to Next Gen Stats, his tackle efficiency was just 86.9 percent, much lower than his 2021 career best, 95.7.

Whether Kansas City engages in talks to retain Bolton or allows him to leave is one of the team’s most important offseason additions. Should he sign with another club, despite his sub-par tackle efficiency in 2024, the Chiefs would have a glaring hole in the heart of their defense.

Baltimore (93.8 percent), Denver (92.0), Pittsburgh (90.6) and Detroit (88.8) rounded out the top five tackling units in the NFL in the 2024 season.

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