CBS Sports’ Charles Davis says Chiefs defense should take a page from Manning-era Colts

The 2006 Colts won the Super Bowl despite having the worst rushing defense in the NFL and finishing 23rd in scoring defense that season.

Of course, they also had quarterback Peyton Manning and one of the best offenses of his era.

For CBS Sports game analyst Charles Davis, those Indianapolis teams are a good blueprint for the Chiefs, who rank 28th in scoring defense this season and 27th in rushing defense.

“To me it goes back to the old Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning,” Davis said ahead of Sunday’s Chiefs-Titans game, which he will call with Ian Eagle. “What was the thing we always said about the Indianapolis defense? Did we ever call them shut down? No. Did you ever talk about them being dominant? No.

“What did we say? They’re built to play with a 14-0 lead, and I really think Kansas City is in a very similar situation because when does (Chiefs defensive coordinator) Steve Spagnuolo’s defense work at its best? Second-and-long, third-and-long. If they win those early downs, now the Spags exotic magic gets a chance to work, and they’re trying to figure out how to get home on on these pass rushes better.”

The Chiefs’ seven sacks are the fewest in the NFL, but Davis saw improvement in Sunday’s 31-13 win at Washington. The Chiefs didn’t have a sack, but they hit Taylor Heinicke seven times and he was forced to rush his throws at times.

With star Chris Jones (two sacks this season) back at practice after missing the previous two games because of a wrist injury, the pass rush should get a boost. The Chiefs will also have to contain star Titans running back Derrick Henry.

“The big thing was they affected the quarterback in the pocket, and they’ll have to do that this week,” Davis said. “But the hard part is you’ve got to slow down 22 first. Because if you don’t, it’s all play-action stuff, and it’s harder to get to the quarterback that way.”

Regarding Henry

Derrick Henry wears jersey No. 22 for the Titans, and he’s been the No. 1 running back in the NFL the past three seasons. He’s rushed for 783 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, which leads the league.

Henry has 374 yards rushing after contact, which would rank in the top 10 for just rushing yards. That’s been an area of concern for the Chiefs, who are 29th in yards allowed after contact (876).

And while Henry is a huge back at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, he also has breakaway speed. Among his three touchdowns in the Titans’ 34-31 win over the Bills on Monday night was a 76-yard scoring run. He reached a top speed of 21.8 mph, the fastest any player has run in the NFL this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

So Henry is big, strong, incredibly fast and he also played his second-fewest snaps (43) of the season on Monday.

Davis said Henry can drain a defense both physically and mentally.

“Every time you think you’ve done a nice job, you just sense he’s one snap away so you’ve got to do a nice job again and again and again. And that’s a long night,” Davis said. “Mentally you have to be prepared. It’s not just the physical part of having to put your body on his and deal with that all night, it’s mentally that you have to put your body on his and not lose it, not let him run through contact.

“Look, if you’re a defender — and I was a defensive back — this isn’t a weakness. It has nothing to do with courage, it has nothing to do with professional pride and challenge. You just know what you’re dealing with this week. Every single play you make a decent play against him, the very next play you have to do it again and again and again and again. And if the game is somewhere tight, I’ll be stunned if his numbers don’t approach 30 carries.”