Kansas City Chiefs fans are going to be understandably optimistic after an impressive 37-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The win felt like a statement after weeks of disrespect from a league seemingly ready to put the dominance of the league's premier franchise in the rearview. However, this doesn't mean everything was perfect, with a number of clear issues emerging throughout the game. The most glaring was the play of linebacker Nick Bolton, who simply didn't live up to expectations. This is evidenced by a 40.4 PFF grade and two missed tackles.
It doesn't matter whether you look at Bolton's grades for tackling or in coverage, they all tell the story of a defender who played poorly. With that said, it is important to note that it is an impossible task to slow down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' rushing attack. Holding Baltimore to 20 points should be counted as a win, even amid the bad week from Bolton. Still, it gives Kansas City coaches and fans an area of improvement to focus on.
Chiefs' Linebacker Nick Bolton Struggled Despite Kansas City's Dominating Win
Bolton finished the game with only 3 tackles and 3 assists, which is hardly what you expect from an important piece in the middle of your defense. There simply isn't a viable excuse for this level of struggle, even amid the celebration for the blowout win. Still, the coaching staff and talent of the defense both leave plenty of reason to trust in improvement in the weeks to come.
Kansas City is scheduled to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions the next two weeks, giving the defender a great opportunity to redeem himself. Both of these offenses like to run the ball and use plenty of short passes, giving linebackers the chance to rack up a ton of tackles.
This leaves Bolton a great opportunity to turn the season around and wipe away what should be an outlier of the game in the final week of September. With this in mind, fans shouldn't be overly concerned about the veteran linebacker, who had just racked up 14 combined tackles in Week 3.
If his struggles do continue over the next couple weeks, however, it may be time to sound the alarm and for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to make some changes. Bolton does have an uncharacteristically low 45.2 PFF grade to open the year (down from 65.4 in 2024 and 69.2 in 2023). The Chiefs may not have the depth to bench Bolton (nobody wants to see Jack Cochrane in the starting lineup), but with Drue Tranquil and Leo Chenal playing so well, Spags could get creative and use Bolton as more of a rotational piece.
Bolton's past accomplishments and reliability buy a bit of grace, even while it remains important to point out the obvious faults. This win should have Chiefs fans feeling good, but a dynasty doesn't stay dominant as long as KC has by overlooking the present because of past accomplishments.