Through the Kansas City Chiefs' first half of the season, there has been more to enjoy than lament. And while KC is certainly not a perfect squad, look around the league. Who is? The Chiefs are 6-2, with a golden opportunity ahead of them to potentially capture the AFC's No. 1 seed.
All they need to do is win the next two games versus the Falcons and Cardinals, two low-quality opponents, and then everything is on the table versus the Buffalo Bills in Week 12. Easier said than done for sure. But one position unit led by two veterans has been one of this season's most underrated storylines and has been a true boost to a very young and growing Steve Spagnuolo defense.
Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill are both having premier bounce-back seasons at linebacker. They've helped the Chiefs establish a top-3 scoring defense and rank top-10 in yards allowed. The duo's strong play was on full display against the Jets in Week 9, combining for 25 tackles as well as a punch-out forced fumble by Bolton.
They hope to carry that into this week against a Falcons offense that utilized arguably the best offensive playmakers in the league, with Bijan Robinson at his full capabilities.
The midfield duo of Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill has powered the Chiefs to a top-three scoring defense, and now faces a unique challenge in Week 10.
Robinson is just three yards shy of first in the league in total yards (1,130) and has scored seven times. He's got it all and is truly a three-down back. It will largely be up to Bolton and Tranquill to not only captain the Chiefs' defense in bottling Robinson up, but also make plays of their own.
Chiefs fans know who Bolton is. A hard-hitting, high-IQ, green dot who has mastered Spags' system over his six-year tenure. While he is not the most athletic LB in the world and is a liability at times in pass coverage, he's one of the best tacklers in the league and makes play after play every week.
The former Missouri Tiger is on pace for 170 total tackles. As for Tranquill, it was odd to see him return to the team this summer after his worst year as a Chiefs in 2025. He looked slow and incapable of making the splash plays he once did, now on the wrong side of 30.
He has proved everyone wrong this year, with many wondering if he could return to the team next year on a new contract. Tranquill himself is on pace for 140 total tackles, which would be near a career high and the most he's had during his time in KC.
Unlike Bolton, one of Tranquill's strengths is his coverage skills, which have earned him a 71.4 overall grade on PFF, ranking in the top 75% of qualified linebackers.
It's easy to overlook the job of a linebacker. It's an unforgiving job in the league that is seen as less valuable than many other key position groups. But so far this year, and especially entering Week 10, the job done by Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill has been and remains incredibly important.
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