Even after making big play, Chiefs’ Nick Bolton laments the one that got away
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bolton forced a goal-line fumble; Karlaftis recovered and Chiefs scored.
- A tipped pass fell incomplete after Bolton and Tranquill failed to secure it.
- Jacksonville converted the ensuing drive into a touchdown and beat the Chiefs.
On consecutive possessions in the second quarter at Jacksonville earlier this week, Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton found himself in the middle of two huge moments that affected the direction of the game.
The first went his and the Chiefs’ way, the second did not.
With Jacksonville 1 yard from the end zone, Bolton alertly knocked the ball from the grasp of Trevor Lawrence as the Jaguars quarterback tried to stretch over the goal line on fourth down.
Defensive end George Karlaftis recovered the fumble and the Chiefs turned that takeaway into a 97-yard drive for a two-touchdown lead.
Perhaps the game bends the Chiefs’ way if fortune had smiled on Bolton on the next series, and the takeaway trend continued.
But Bolton could not come away with an interception that started with the ball tipping off the Jaguars to Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. McDuffie knocked the ball in the air and it looked like a makeable grasp for Bolton.
But he couldn’t gain control, and neither could KC linebacker Drue Tranquill, who was also nearby and seeking the takeaway.
The pass fell incomplete. Jacksonville finished the drive with a touchdown and was on its way to a 31-28 victory, sending the Chiefs to a 2-3 record entering Sunday night’s game against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I just have to come down with the football,” Bolton said. “I’m not harping too much on it. I was flying to the football. ... It was just unfortunate that it happened to us and we couldn’t bring it in.”
If he could do it over again, Bolton said he might play the ball like a baseball outfielder. “Call him off, saying, ‘I got it, I got it,’” Bolton said.
The task gets no easier on “Sunday Night Football.” Lions quarterback Jared Goff leads an offense that tops the NFL in scoring at 34.8 points per game.
The Lions are getting productive years from running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, who combine to average 117 rushing yards per game. They have scored four touchdowns apiece.
Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shares the NFC lead with six touchdown receptions, and tight end Sam LaPorta, off to a slow start, came up big in last weekend’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals with 92 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“They’re special,” Bolton said. “They have a great tight end, two good backs, wideouts have depth and the quarterback is playing. It’s going to take everybody. It’s a great challenge for us.”
Statistically, the Chiefs rank in the middle of the pack in yards and points allowed. But one area has picked up in recent weeks: After not forcing a turnover in their first two games, the Chiefs have now played three straight with multiple takeaways.
They won the turnover battle against the Jacksonville 2-1 and — until Monday — had won 39 straight when getting more takeaways than their opponents.
The Chiefs may have been a Bolton-bobble away from keeping that streak alive in Jacksonville.