3 Chiefs who need to step up after Patrick Mahomes injury to return to Super Bowl
Scouting Report. Kansas City Chiefs. 2. 124. Pick Analysis. LB. Nick Bolton. player
With Mahomes banged up, the Chiefs need Nick Bolton to be at his best on D
If there’s one thing that you can definitely count on Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton to do, it’s fill up the stat sheet. He had 180 total tackles in the regular season and continued that by leading the team with 10 total tackles in the win over Jacksonville. Sunday in the AFC Championship Game is going to be a massive test for him, though.
For as good as Bolton is and has been overall, the truth of the matter is that he can sometimes put up empty stats. He can make tackles after the offense has already broken off a nice gain. Now playing against either Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, though, so much responsibility is going to be on his shoulders to be a sure tackler who can limit big plays.
One thing that both Allen and Burrow possess that makes them dangerous is the ability to create with their legs. If Bolton isn’t sure in his responsibilities or sure with his tackling, that could gash the Chiefs defense, which is only going to put more pressure on the other parts of the defense and on Mahomes and the offense as well. That’s not what they want.
Yes, guys like Chris Jones, Frank Clark, George Karlaftis and the defensive line need to create pressure from the line of scrimmage to also limit what opposing quarterbacks are able to do. At the same time, though, you’ve come to expect that from those guys. Bolton is a bit less of a sure thing in that, which is why he’s being highlighted as someone needing to come to play on Sunday with the AFC title on the line.