Chiefs’ Nick Bolton to miss another game as Taylor Swift promotes Sunday Night Football
The Chiefs will be without linebacker Nick Bolton and cornerback Jaylen Watson for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets.
Bolton, who had missed one game in his first two seasons since being drafted to the NFL out of Mizzou, will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury.
Last week against the Chicago Bears, Drue Tranquill filled the role, leading the team with eight tackles and recordeding a half-sack. Playing in the middle, Tranquill, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, wore the green dot that allows him to communicate with coaches and call the defensive alignments.
“I thought he did a great job,” Chiefs linebackers coach Brendan Daly said. “The communication on the field was really good. He got is in and out of a couple of checks, managed the game well.”
Watson didn’t play a defensive snap in the opener against the Detroit Lions but has played 50 in the past two games. He started six regular-season games and all three playoff games last season.
Seventh-round pick Nic Jones, a Chiefs cornerback who has been inactive for the first three games, could see his first action this season.
Chiefs-Jets get Taylor Swift promo
The NFL is taking full advantage of Taylor Swift’s new interest in the league and friendship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
A Swift-themed promo for the Chiefs-Jets game debuted on TODAY on Friday, using the singer’s song, “Welcome to New York,” and showing clips of Kelce, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and the Jets.
Smart move. NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast is Nielsen’s most-watched program in prime-time and could set an audience record this weekend. With Swift expected to be in attendance, the game is poised to top the 30.4 million viewers that watched a Dallas-Washington SNF game in 2012.
Last weekend, with Swift attending the Chiefs-Bears game at Arrowhead, Fox Sports announced an audience of 24.3 million, making it the most-watched telecast on any network. The game’s audience numbers spiked in most female demographics.
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 2:53 PM.