After seeing its protection maintain a number of accidents in a loss to the Packers, the Chiefs may have their high linebacker out there as soon as once more. Weeks after wrist surgical procedure, Nick Bolton will come off IR.
The Chiefs are formally activating the third-year defender forward of their Week 14 recreation towards the Payments, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson experiences. This can solely be Kansas Metropolis’s second IR activation this season; six extra such strikes stay out there to the defending champions.
Kansas Metropolis has misplaced three video games with out Bolton, who has missed time on account of a number of accidents this season. The Chiefs have been with out the prolific tackler for the previous 5 video games. The crew has misplaced three of these — to the Broncos, Eagles and Packers — to drop to 8-4. Having Bolton energetic will definitely assist the AFC West leaders, who now path the Dolphins and Ravens within the race for AFC home-field benefit.
Whereas overshadowed by the Chiefs’ two future Corridor of Famers on offense and Chris Jones on protection, Bolton has develop into one of many league’s high younger linebackers. The previous second-round decide reeled off a 180-tackle season in 2022 and scored a landing in Tremendous Bowl LVII, coming a split-second away from a second TD in that recreation. Bolton, nonetheless, has solely performed in 4 video games this season. He missed three earlier this 12 months on account of an ankle damage.
This activation will probably be a well timed one for Kansas Metropolis, which dominated out Drue Tranquill for Sunday’s recreation. Tranquill suffered a concussion towards Inexperienced Bay. Bolton and Willie Homosexual, nonetheless, have operated because the Chiefs’ high linebackers for the previous three years. The latter is in a contract 12 months. With Homosexual’s Missouri future unsure, Bolton profiles as an extension candidate, becoming a member of fellow 2021 second-round decide Creed Humphrey in that regard.
The Mizzou alum will probably be a pivotal part of the Chiefs’ newest effort to safe a first-round bye. The Chiefs have earned a bye in 4 of their 5 playoff runs with Patrick Mahomes on the helm. They’ve been capable of play a record-setting 5 straight house AFC championship video games, two of these on account of that 12 months’s No. 1 seed (the Ravens in 2019, Titans in 2021) dropping in Spherical 2.
