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KANSAS CITY Darwin Thompson Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys , Mo. — The Chiefs hired Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator Thursday, moving swiftly to replace Bob Sutton after his unit’s dismal performance against the Patriots in the AFC title game.Spagnuolo began his coaching career as Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s assistant in Philadelphia, where he worked with several position groups over the course of eight seasons. He left to become the Giants‘ defensive coordinator, and has held similar roles with the Saints and Ravens.He’s best known for his two stints as head coach, though. Spagnuolo went 10-38 over three seasons with the St. Louis Rams and 1-3 as the Giants’ interim coach during the 2017 season.“Steve is a bright defensive mind with a lot of coaching experience and success in our league,” Reid said in a statement. “I know him well from our time together in Philadelphia and I feel that his leadership skills and teaching abilities, combined with his scheme, will be a great fit for our team.”Spagnuolo, who spent last season out of coaching, has primarily run a 4-3 defense, which would be a change from the 3-4 scheme that Sutton had run. But the Chiefs drafted last season as if they planned to move forward with two defensive tackles and two defensive ends, so the adjustment should not be a big one for a defense that returns many of its key pieces.One big change will be the mentality of the defense.Sutton orchestrated a bend-but-don’t-break approach to defense Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys 2019 , while Spagnuolo — who learned under defensive mastermind Jim Johnson — prefers an aggressive, blitz-oriented approach. But he’s also been willing to adapt, running variations of his defensive scheme with the Giants.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaSutton was fired Tuesday, two days after his defense collapsed in the fourth quarter and overtime in a 37-31 loss to New England. The Chiefs failed to stop the Patriots in OT, meaning star quarterback Patrick Mahomes never got an opportunity to step on the field.That was likely the final straw for Sutton, whose defenses regularly ranked among the worst in the NFL the past few seasons. The Chiefs were particularly bad against the run this season, and they allowed at least 29 points in each of their five losses.Spagnuolo doesn’t come without some concerns, either.While his Giants defenses finished in the top 10 three times, two of his last three units were last and second-to-last in yards allowed. And while the Eagles were regularly stout with Johnson as the coordinator and Spagnuolo in various roles, his Saints defense in 2012 allowed more yards than any other in history and Spagnuolo was ultimately fired after the season.Now, the attention in Kansas City turns to Spagnuolo’s personnel.Pass rusher Dee Ford is ready to hit free agency, though it’s becoming increasingly likely that he will be franchised. Defensive end Allen Bailey is also a free agent Darwin Thompson Jersey nfl draft , while defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Kendall Fuller are likely candidates for contract extensions.Longtime safety Eric Berry has been beset by injuries the past few years, and he is set to take up $16.5 million of the salary cap next season, while linebacker Justin Houston carries a cap hit of $21.1 million next season. The Chiefs could cut both over the summer and free up substantial space, or they could attempt to restructure their deals for a more manageable number.The Chiefs will be looking to plug holes just about everywhere on defense, but particularly at cornerback and middle linebacker. They are projected to have about $32 million in salary cap space and will have one first-round pick and two second-rounders in the upcoming draft. The Cincinnati Bengals knew that with a banged-up defense facing the NFL's highest-scoring offense, there was a good chance they'd have to simply outscore the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.They barely outscored the Chiefs' defense.Andy Dalton was held to 148 yards passing with a touchdown and a pick-6, Joe Mixon managed 50 yards on the ground and the Cincinnati offense struggled to keep up with the high-flying Chiefs in what turned into a 45-10 rout finished off by the backups at Arrowhead Stadium."Yeah, that's a good team. Everybody knows that they've been able to score points," Dalton said. "When you don't do that on your side of the ball it can turn into a game like it did."So much for the Chiefs bringing in the NFL's worst defense.Dalton was only sacked twice but was under constant duress, and the Bengals' running game 鈥?which still has not produced a 100-yard rusher this season 鈥?went absolutely nowhere.Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense piled up 551 yards in a dominant performance."It's on everybody," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "The coaching staff has to do a great job of preparing. The (players) have to understand and make the adjustments Replica Darwin Thompson Jersey , the execution 鈥?we knew that was going to be a big part of it. Communication, being alert, making the adjustments and so forth throughout the football game. We did a poor job of that. We've got to understand that we have opportunities."We had a lot of plays," Lewis said, "where we've got to do better."Indeed, it's been a miserable couple weeks for the Bengals (4-3), who were flying high after a shootout win over Atlanta and a solid win over Miami. Dalton and Co. was rolling on offense and a defense that had been suspect coming into the season was starting to round into shape.Then came last week's 28-21 loss in Pittsburgh, when the Bengals picked up a slew of injuries while watching Ben Roethlisberger find Antonio Brown to give the Steelers the winning touchdown.That loss was competitive, but deflating.Their defeat Sunday night? Downright embarrassing.Making it sting even more was the fact that the Bengals, already without three key players due to injuries, watched three more playmakers go down. Emotional linebacker Vontaze Burfict limped off in the third quarter with a hip injury, speedy wide receiver John Ross went down with a groin injury and tight end Mason Schreck left with a knee injury.Throw in injuries to running back Giovani Bernard Stitched Darwin Thompson Jersey , center Billy Price and tight end Tyler Kroft and perhaps it's not so surprising the Bengals only managed 239 yards total offense against Kansas City.Ron Parker capped the forgettable performance by reading Dalton's eyes early in the second half, stepping in front of a pass and taking the interception back for a touchdown. The Chiefs had just scored to take a 31-7 lead, and the defensive score gave them two TDs in a span of 9 seconds."My guy kind of just stood up and blocked," Parker said, "and I just had my eyes on the quarterback. I saw him just looking to the right, had my eyes on him and took me right to the ball."If only Dalton's own targets were so productive.A.J. Green had seven catches for 117 yards but failed to reach the end zone, and Tyler Boyd was shut out until the second half after two TD grabs against the Steelers. Mixon tried to give the offense a bit of balance, but the Bengals were in such a hole early that they had to air it out.That didn't work. Nothing really did."It's just one game. We've got another one next week," Dalton said. "As much as this one sucks, like I said, everything's still right there. We're in a great position. We've got to go take advantage of it."