The Chiefs are back from their bye with the kind of problem that can quietly wreck a hot start: the pass rush has gone missing.
Kansas City has won four straight after opening with a 31-10 statement over the Chargers, then beating the Colts, Dolphins and Raiders. The record looks clean.
The defense looks sturdy. But the last three games have come without a sack, and for a team trying to protect an unbeaten run, that is the crack in the foundation.
Chris Jones and George Karlaftis are the names at the center of it. Karlaftis has been active all over the field, even if the sacks still haven’t arrived.
He has 15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 passes batted down and 1 interception, along with 10 quarterback hits. Jones, though, has not looked like the same game-wrecker opposing offenses used to circle in red.
The 32-year-old has 11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery. Long-time defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is surely expecting more, and the source of the concern is plain enough: age is beginning to show.
What makes the dry spell even more striking is that it has come despite pressure getting home at times. The Chiefs just haven’t finished the job by putting quarterbacks on the turf. No NFL team had ever won three straight while going sackless in all three games.
That said, Kansas City’s defense has still done plenty right through four games. The Chiefs are allowing 317.8 yards per game, good for 12th in the league, and they’ve been especially solid against the run, ranking 7th by holding opponents to 92.8 rushing yards per game.
They’re limiting teams to 19.3 points per game, too. The takeaway production has been a major boost: 7 total takeaways, including 4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries, and a plus-5 turnover differential that ties them for second.
The offense has also gotten a lift from the offseason’s biggest move. After a year in which the running game didn’t scare anybody, the Chiefs brought in Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, and he has delivered immediately.
Walker has rushed for 537 yards on 87 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry with a long of 76 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. That’s a far cry from the ground production Kansas City got last season from Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, who combined for modest numbers and lacked real punch.
Patrick Mahomes has done his part, too, even if the schedule will soon ask for more. Through four games, the 6-time Pro Bowler, 2-time MVP and 3-time Super Bowl MVP has completed 82 of 128 passes for 1,037 yards with a 9-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Chiefs have coasted through a softer stretch after the opener, but that luxury is about to disappear.
They return in Week 6 at home against the winless Chargers, then face a tougher road ahead with consecutive trips to the Seahawks and Broncos. And after that, the season gets even rougher, with five games remaining against the Bills, Rams, Bengals, Patriots and 49ers.
So yes, the Chiefs are unbeaten, and yes, a lot is working. But if they’re going to keep this run rolling through the hard part of the schedule, the pass rush has to wake up.
In Other News...
Chiefs Have A Next-Wave Opportunity Fans Should Be Watching
The Chiefs head into their early bye at 4-0, and a lot of the attention around them is turning from the record to the players who could matter even more once the season restarts. Through the first four games, Kansas City has already gotten useful contributions from several younger pieces, but there is also a sense that a few of them are only beginning to show what they can add as the schedule tightens and roles become clearer.
Jalen Royals is part of that conversation on the offensive side, while Alohi Gilman, Ashton Gillotte and Peter Woods each fit the kind of developmental track Kansas City often leans on over a long season. Their early-season work has given the coaching staff a baseline, but the more interesting question now is which of them can turn that into a bigger impact when the Chiefs come out of the bye. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Rookie Cyrus Allen Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Matter
Cyrus Allen arrived in Kansas City with some summer buzz, but the rookie fifth-round pick has mostly been on the fringe through the first month of the 2026 season. The Chiefs have had plenty of mouths to feed in the passing game, and Allens early usage reflected that reality as he waited for a clearer opening behind more established options.
Now the picture looks different. Injuries have thinned the receiver room, and Andy Reid has signaled Allen should work into the mix more moving forward, giving the Chiefs a young pass catcher a chance to move from developmental piece to actual contributor. Allen and Patrick Mahomes have both talked like the opportunity is coming, and for a player who has been easy to overlook so far, the next stretch could decide whether his early hype starts turning into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Keep Having The Same Harrison Butker Debate For A Reason
Whenever the Chiefs run into kicking questions, the conversation seems to drift back to Harrison Butker, and for good reason. He has been one of the most reliable specialists of his era, piling up big moments in the playoffs and sitting near the top of the league in field goals made since 2017, which is why his name keeps surfacing whenever Kansas Citys margin for error gets thin.
The debate is never just about one type of kick, either. Butkers overall track record has been strong enough to keep him in the center of the discussion, even if his extra point work has not always matched the same standard, and the Chiefs have just seen how quickly a kicker can lose his footing after the latest roster move at the position. For a team that has lived through plenty of close games, that kind of consistency is exactly why this conversation refuses to go away. [Read more 🡒]