3 Chiefs on the Hot Seat During the Second Half of Season
3. The Edge Rushers
The Chiefs have not had a great presence off the edge this season, though not for lack of trying, right?
George Karlaftis leads the team with four sacks this season, but he and the great Chris Jones are the only ones on the roster with more than six quarterback hits going into Week 12. The Chiefs have spent a first-round pick on Karlaftis, drafted Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round, and made trades for Cameron Thomas and Josh Uche.
The Chiefs are trying to find answers and solutions. Our friends over at Arrowhead Addict did a great job of pointing out just how dismal things have been this season for the Chiefs off the edge:
""The Chiefs were second in sacks in 2023. Their 57 sacks on the season were second only to the Baltimore Ravens. This season, they are tied for 27th in sacks with 19 and are on pace for 32.3 sacks. That would be over a 40% drop in sacks from last year. A big part of that is the abysmal 6 sacks from their edge players through the first 10 games.
- Lyle Graverson, Arrowhead Addict
Six sacks from edge players in 10 games is pitiful. In fact, there are only two teams in the NFL with worse sack production off the edge. Those teams are the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. That is not the company you want to be in when it comes to outside pass rush.""
Kansas City needs the guys they've invested in to step up down the stretch of this season. Pass rushers, like great hitters in baseball or shooters in basketball, can get white hot at any point in time.
They are holding out hope that at least one of these guys can heat up as we close out November and get into December. Having productivity off the edge will allow Jones to get favorable matchups on the interior.
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