(Photo credit: sethhenry1)

We all know that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and that a good performance by a QB in a game can go a long ways to helping his team gain a victory. But what about looking at things from the defensive side of the ball… can stopping a QB from having a great game (or even a good game) help a team win? The Kansas City Chiefs may help provide an answer to this question.

The Chiefs are 9-0 and lead the league by allowing only 111 points this season, 12.3 per game. It’s obvious their defense has been a big factor in their undefeated season. But did you know that opposing quarterbacks have a combined QB Passer Rating of only 67.8 when they play Kansas City? That is the best (or worst depending on how you look at it) opposing QB Passer Rating for a defense in the NFL.

The Chiefs have had only two opposing QBs have a QB Passer Rating over 100 this season: Case Keenum at 110.6 and Jason Campbell at 105.4. Dallas’ Tony Romo fell short of the 100.0 mark with 99.1 in his game against the Chiefs. All of the other QBs the Chiefs have faced this year had a QB Passer Rating under 70.0 in the contest versus the Chiefs.

While this number casts a clear vision of why the K.C. defense has played a major role in the team’s success, the opposing QB Passer Rating also reveals some interesting stats that indicate why several teams are performing well (or poorly) based on how well their defense contains the opposing QB. Consider that:

* Of the eight teams that have an opposing QB Passer Rating under 80.0, five of those teams are in first place in their division. Those eight teams have a combined record of 54-20, a .730 winning percentage. The only team with a losing record in this group are the Miami Dolphins who are 4-5

* Of the seven teams that have an opposing QB Passer Rating over 95.9, only one, the Green Bay Packers at 5-4, have a winning record. The combined record of these seven teams is 20-43, a .317 winning percentage.

Following are the opposing QB Passer Ratings for each team.

Kansas City 67.8

Seattle 70.2; San Francisco 73.2; New England 74.2; Carolina 74.6; New Orleans 75.5; Miami 76.1; Cincinnati 78.5

N.Y. Giants 80.5; Tampa Bay 80.8; Arizona 81.6; Cleveland 82.4; Philadelphia 83.6; Denver 83.7; Detroit 84.2; Buffalo 84.6; Pittsburgh 85.8; Indianapolis 88.0; Chicago 88.4; Baltimore 89.5

N.Y. Jets 90.7; Houston 90.9; Dallas 92.9; Tennessee 92.9; St. Louis 93.0; Minnesota 98.3; Washington 98.8; Green Bay 99.5

Oakland 102.1; Jacksonville 103.3; Atlanta 103.5; San Diego 104.3

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp