Chiefs’ Justin Reid explains how Kansas City stopped Justin Jefferson, says defense is ‘something special’

MINNEAPOLIS — The Chiefs may not be lighting up scoreboards the way they often have under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. But after edging the Vikings 27-20 on Sunday to improve to 4-1, it’s possible Kansas City is even more well-rounded than expected. Or at least that’s according to safety Justin Reid, who told CBS Sports after the game the Chiefs defense is the “best he’s ever played on.”

“We’re a tough defense, man,” Reid said in the locker room. “I appreciate Coach Reid kinda giving us the opportunity to win the game at the end, punting the ball and making us go out and make ’em drive a long field. We got something special brewing right here.”

Despite holding just a seven-point lead, Reid elected to punt after a failed attempt to draw the Vikings offsides on fourth-and-1 near midfield with 9:05 remaining in Week 5’s contest. He punted again on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs’ own 44-yard line with 1:15 left, giving Minnesota two opportunities to tie the game in the final minutes of action. But Reid and the Chiefs secondary, which racked up penalties in a hit-or-miss first half, stood tall when it mattered with back-to-back red zone stands.

Reid, who had eight tackles and a pass deflection, thinks the Chiefs are well on their way to more success “with the defense, the way we’re clicking together and the chemistry (we have), and the offense being dominant as they’ve always been for the last five, six, seven years.” The key, he said, will be keeping “the play up to our standard.”

It helped his cause on Sunday that Vikings star Justin Jefferson left in the second half due to a hamstring injury. But Jefferson was quiet even beforehand, managing just three catches for 28 yards.

“We ID’d where he was on every single play,” Reid said. “Whether he was front side, back side, slot, we were gonna make sure we knew where he was and had at least a couple pairs of eyes on him. We knew that he’s a guy that can wreck the game at any point in time, so we were gonna have to make sure we made it tough on Kirk Cousins to not be able to have him as an option.”