Getty Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton.
After suffering a dislocated wrist during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7, linebacker Nick Bolton needs surgery and is expected to miss “roughly” two months, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on October 23.
#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton will need surgery on his dislocated wrist and is expected to miss roughly two months, per source. A tough loss for the Kansas City D.
The Chiefs not having a core part of their defense as they are about to embark on the toughest part of their schedule is a big blow. Over the next six games, Kansas City will face the Miami Dolphins (Week 9), Philadelphia Eagles (Week 10), and Buffalo Bills (Week 13), all of which will have playoff implications tied to them due to those teams being near the top of their respective conferences.
In the interim, the defending Super Bowl champions will likely rely on offseason addition Drue Tranquill to fill the void left by Bolton. When Bolton missed Weeks 3-5 due to an ankle injury, Tranquill filled in admirably for Bolton, registering 21 tackles, 12 stops, and 5 quarterback pressures (3 QB hurries, 1 sack, 1 QB hit) during that timeframe, per PFF.
Chiefs Defeat Chargers 31-17 in Week 7
The Chiefs and Chargers wasted little time putting points on the board in Week 7; after a Los Angeles punt on the opening drive, the Chiefs-Chargers game at Arrowhead featured six straight drives that resulted in points scored. That led to 41 points total being scored in the first half and a 24-17 lead at halftime for the defending Super Bowl champions.
The second half was a very different story. The Chiefs had one scoring drive after halftime, which was a touchdown scored in the fourth quarter via an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to running back Isiah Pacheco. Outside of that, no points were scored by either team in the second half, which resulted in a two-score victory for Kansas City.
Mahomes finished the game having completed 32-of-42 pass attempts for 424 yards and 4 touchdowns. Mahomes was only sacked once in the game and had the longest rush of the day for the Chiefs (23).
Kansas City’s leading receiver was tight end Travis Kelce, who caught 12-of-13 targets for 179 yards and 1 touchdown. The two other touchdown receptions went to receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (3-84) and Rashee Rice (5-60).
Pacheco had a quiet night on the ground. He was the team’s leading rusher with 32 yards on 13 carries.
Kansas City’s defense yet again put together an elite performance. The unit caused Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to throw 2 interceptions in Week 7 and sacked him 5 times. After giving up 21 points to the Detroit Lions in the season opener, the Chiefs’ defense has yet to give up more than 20 points in six straight games.
The win over the Chargers improves Kansas City’s record to 6-1.
Twitter/X Reacts to Nick Bolton Update
Users on Twitter/X reacted to Tom Pelissero’s update on Nick Bolton.
“Damn tough loss for the chiefs. He balls out for them every week,” one user wrote. “Hoping hell get back on field sooner.”
@TomPelissero Damn tough loss for the chiefs. He balls out for them every week. Hoping hell get back on field sooner 👍
“That means we are probably without Bolton for the Dolphins, Eagles and Bills games. Brutal loss, but thankfully at the position we have the most depth at,” another user wrote. “I place my trust in Tranquill, Willie (Gay Jr.) and (Leo) Chenal to get the job done. They are good enough.”