Spagnuolo’s ingenuity was beyond the defence of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offence.

Baltimore — In the Kansas City Chiefs locker room, a black T-shirt was moving more quickly than cigar smoke after the team won its fourth AFC title in six years. The jersey featured the visage of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and numerous players were posing for photos with the defensive guru who guided the Chiefs to the Super Bowl—once more.

Justin Reid, a defensive back for the Chiefs, made sure that the four words “In Spags We Trust” were visible on the shirt.

Justin Reid holding the shirt that’s been all over the #Chiefs locker room.

“In Spags We Trust” #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/jzuxnYCrnE

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) January 29, 2024

“That’s the boss, bro, damn it. When Spags was brought up, Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie’s eyes gleamed and he declared, “That’s the mastermind behind everything you see.” “Everyone in the building, including the defence team, seems to really respect that man,” the author said. He’s a great guy all around.

“Both he and I have a great deal of love for one other. He gives us permission to play outside.”

The Chiefs defence appears to be an exact replica of either Jim Johnson’s winning defences with the Philadelphia Eagles (Spagnuolo was Johnson’s protégé in Philadelphia) or Spagnuolo’s championship defences with the New York Giants. In Sunday’s victory, the Chiefs limited the Baltimore Ravens to a season-low 10 points and a season-high three turnovers.

Spagnulo outperformed the Ravens 44% of the time, putting on a classic “Spags” show. The Chiefs blitzed the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills a total of twenty times in their first two postseason games. Kansas City dominated on 21 plays on Sunday.

Lamar Jackson was blitzed and finished 8 of 18 for 125 yards and a touchdown, with one sack and an 86.6 rating. The game’s lone touchdown for the Ravens came via a Jackson pass that avoided a sack and found an open Zay Flowers in the end zone.

Whence, at least six, did the Chiefs rush? Jackson averaged 2.2 yards per attempt on 1 of 5 attempts for 5 yards.

Chiefs pass rusher Mike Danna remarked, “That was one of many things Coach Spags was dialling up.” “Lamar is an outstanding athlete and quarterback. He will be the star player. I have no desire to criticise anything he accomplished. Although he had an amazing year, Coach Spags was really stepping it up. We were able to carry out his well-executed strategy.”

Mike Danna of the Chiefs noted, “It was one of many things Coach Spags was dialling up.” “Lamar is a fantastic quarterback and athlete. He will be this year’s MVP. I don’t wish to criticise anything he did. Though Coach Spags was really stepping it up, he had an incredible year. He had a solid strategy, which we were able to carry out.”

The game’s most important play was another made by the legendary Spagnuolo defence. The Chiefs were ahead 17–7 going into the fourth quarter when Jackson found Flowers for an 8-yard gain in the middle of the field with the Ravens inside the 10-yard line. L’Jarius Sneed popped the ball out of Flowers’ hands as he dove towards the end zone to score a touchdown, and McDuffie recovered for the touchback in the end zone.

In the locker room, Spagnulo remarked, “He made up for a bad [play earlier].” “You can see him constantly pounding at the ball during practice. He’s a unique player, and I’m glad I have him. Some things we can’t accomplish without him.”

The Chiefs held onto their 10-point advantage as the Ravens applied more pressure in the remaining minutes. M&T Bank Stadium was astonished beyond belief.

“It was quite significant. We were unaware that it was an error,” McDuffie remarked. “We simply leaped instinctively onto the ball. After getting up, we said, “Okay, this is a turnover.” It was a critical point in time. Following that, Deon Bush was selected. That’s crucial in a huge game.”

When Bush picked off Jackson in the end zone after he threw into triple coverage, it was the second red zone takeaway of the game in the fourth quarter. With 6:45 remaining, his interception maintained the Chiefs’ lead at 10.

Despite only leading 17–7, the Chiefs’ ability to maintain a lead over the formidable Ravens offence gave the impression that they were ahead more throughout the game.

This week, that was the main focus. We were aware of that,” Danna remarked. “We all shared the same objective. All 11 of us had to exercise discipline in order to complete our tasks. Whatever occurs, occurs.”

There is more to “In Spags We Trust” than just a slogan on a t-shirt. The Chiefs defence lives by this creed. This defence placed second in terms of yards per game allowed (289.8) and points per game allowed (17.3).

The NFL’s top defence, Kansas City, prevailed in the AFC Championship. “[Spags] performs even better when the games get bigger and the challenges get higher,” to paraphrase Patrick Mahomes.

“We have faith in Coach. We support each other as a system and as a defensive unit,” Danna stated. He stated emphatically earlier this week that it required the 11 of us. To go where we wanted to go, the 11 of us would need to travel together. We carry out our obligations.