It's easy to think all rainbows and sunshine in Chiefs Kingdom after Kansas City has started 4-0 to start the season. And we should feel excited. Andy Reid has freshened up his scheme, Patrick Mahomes doesn't seem to have missed a step coming back from a torn ACL, and Steve Spagnuolo's young defense has shown both its warts at times but also flashes of a really high ceiling.
Somebody who could help the defense reach that ceiling is second-year defensive tackle Norman-Lott, who, like Mahomes, is set to make his return sometime soon from an ACL tear he suffered in Week 5 of last season. The 63rd overall pick just one year ago out of Tennessee saw limited action his rookie year, even before his injury.
Norman-Lott played just four full games, but recorded one sack, 5 total tackles (1 TFL), and a QB hit on 66 snaps. He was placed on the four-week PUP list to begin this year, and now, after a bye week and hopefully some more time to really get his body back into football shape, it's very possible we begin to see an easing back of Norman-Lott's workload game by game.
Kansas City's second-round pick from a year ago should be returning to action soon
Through four games, the Chiefs defense, according to stat rankings, ranks first in the league, generating over 17 QB pressures per game. However, they have managed to turn all of their pressures into a league-low four sacks, all of which came against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Year by year, sack numbers vary; they are a very fluid stat. But pressures and pressure rate have always been something a defense can truly be measured by if they are continuously getting to the quarterback and wreaking havoc.
And this year, KC has been better at it than anybody. They just haven't culminated in sacks. It's easy to predict and rather hope that at some point these pressures start turning into sacks. But easier said than done. Perhaps the return of another disrupter up the middle in Norman-Lott could help the Chiefs get their just a split millisecond earlier, which would be all the difference between them finishing with one or two sacks in a game and four or five.
Rookies R Mason Thomas and Peter Woods have each had nice starts to the season, Thomas even more so. George Karlaftis, as is his way, is among the best at hitting the QB and being a menace in the running game. But we haven't seen much from Chris Jones, who, hopefully, following the bye week, does not have to keep nursing a nagging calf strain. Norman-Lott is just another guy opposing offenses will have to account for whenever he does make his return.
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