Nick Bolton added another line to Chiefs history on Sunday, and it came with a familiar kind of impact: tackles piling up and Kansas City controlling the game.
In the Chiefs’ 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Bolton finished with 11 tackles, pushing his career total to 26 games with at least 10 tackles. That moves him past Derrick Johnson for the most such games in franchise history.
Johnson had held the mark with 25 games across his 13 seasons in Kansas City.
The Chiefs confirmed the milestone Monday in their official review of the victory.
Bolton, a second-round pick out of Missouri in 2021, had been closing in on the record for weeks. He matched Johnson with 13 tackles against Indianapolis on Sept.
- A week later, he added 11 more against Miami, then came up just short with nine against Las Vegas on Oct.
Against the Chargers, he finally went ahead of Johnson and helped keep Kansas City unbeaten at 5-0.
After the game, Bolton called the moment special while speaking with KSHB 41 on Monday, joining a list of linebackers who have defined the franchise.
There was a little extra weight to the achievement, too. Johnson was inducted into the Chiefs’ Ring of Honor on Sept. 20, the same day Bolton tied his record.
Johnson remains the Chiefs’ all-time leading tackler and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He spent 2005 through 2017 in Kansas City before finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2018.
Bolton has become a key piece of the Chiefs’ defense in his own right. Earlier this year, he ranked eighth among the NFL’s top off-ball linebackers in an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches and scouts.
Fellow linebacker Drue Tranquill pointed to Bolton’s presence and the confidence he has built with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
"He's a beast," Tranquill told KSHB.
Bolton’s record-setting night came as the Chiefs turned in another sturdy defensive outing. Kansas City held the Chargers without a touchdown and limited them to two field goals in a game that still had its rough edges.
Now 26, Bolton has a long runway to stretch the record even further. The Chiefs will try to keep their perfect start going Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
In Other News...
Patrick Mahomes Is Dominating In One Crucial Area Again
Patrick Mahomes has quietly reasserted one of the most dangerous parts of his game, and it is showing up in the kind of throws that can break a defense when a play starts to fall apart. After the ACL and LCL tears, the Chiefs quarterback is leading the NFL in completing passes outside the pocket, a reminder of how much stress he can still put on opponents even when the original design of a play is gone. CBS Sports and Fox Sports have both pointed out that he looks like himself again, which is not exactly good news for anyone trying to slow down Kansas City.
The timing only makes the Chiefs harder to deal with as they head into Week 7 still unbeaten. Mahomes ability to create on the move has always been a separator, and it is giving Kansas City the sort of margin for error most teams do not get. With Kenneth Walker III also drawing notice for his production, the broader picture is the one the rest of the league has been dreading: the Chiefs are finding answers in more than one place, and Mahomes is once again doing the most damaging work when the pocket disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Passing Game Faces A Bigger Test Than One Shorthanded Win
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs kept the offense moving Sunday against the Chargers even without Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton, turning a thin receiver room into a workable one in a 22-6 win. Mahomes finished 23 of 30 for 272 yards, leaning on Travis Kelce and getting meaningful help from Noah Gray, Xavier Worthy and a handful of other pass catchers who were able to stay involved throughout the game.
The bigger question for Kansas City is what this passing game looks like when the competition stiffens and the missing bodies matter more. The Chiefs were able to spread the ball around and still remain productive, with Cyrus Allen, Jalen Royals and Andrew Armstrong all contributing, but Sunday felt more like a proof of survival than a final answer about how the offense will function if the depth chart stays this way. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Return Problem Just Got Harder To Ignore
Kansas Citys return game has become a small but stubborn problem, and Nikki Remigios latest miscue only sharpened the issue. In a game where field position mattered, the Chiefs had already seen enough from a return unit that has not delivered much juice, with Remigios punt and kickoff work sitting below league average and his offensive role remaining minimal.
The concern is not just the occasional shaky decision, but the sense that the Chiefs are carrying a liability they do not need. With so little payoff elsewhere, every mistake at returner lands harder, and the conversation around whether Kansas City should keep going this way is getting tougher to avoid. [Read more 🡒]