The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to get off to a dominant 3-0 start in 2026.
They will have to knock off the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 to do so. The Dolphins are 0-2, but Sunday is their home opener and they will be desperate to not fall to 0-3. It’s a game the Chiefs should win, but they can’t take Miami lightly.
Kansas City Chiefs DE George Karlaftis Predicted for Big-Time Performance vs. Dolphins
Multiple members of ESPN’s NFL Nation crew made several predictions for Week 3. Among them was a two-sack performance from Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis.
“Chiefs edge George Karlaftis will record at least two sacks. I’ve long thought Karlaftis was a solid, but not great, edge rusher. But this season he’s showing a little more, despite having failed to record a sack yet. He has 10 pass rush wins, tied for fifth most. And now he’s going against the Dolphins, and most importantly Willis — who has the NFL’s highest sack rate.” — Seth Walder
Karlaftis should be hungry to get his first sack of the season after coming close but just short several times throughout the first two weeks. So far in 2026 Karlaftis leads all Chiefs defensive linemen in snaps played with 102, and has also played 10 on special teams.
3 – George Karlaftis 2 – Felix Anudike-Uzomah 1 – Chris Jones 1 – Ashton Gillotte 1 – R Mason Thomas 1 – Jaden Hicks 1 – Alohi Gilman
Chiefs’ Defense Is Still Trying to Find Its Identity
Kansas City’s defense has turned in two very different performances this season. It was dominant against the Denver Broncos in Week 1, limiting them to 176 yards of total offense while recording four sacks and two turnovers.
However, in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, the Chiefs allowed 329 yards of total offense and was unable to log a single sack. While speaking to the media on Thursday, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said there were positives against the Colts despite the regression.
“We’re probably not as good as we were in the first week, and hopefully not as bad as we were in the second,” Spagnuolo joked. “Somewhere in the middle. We were happy we won. I was really proud of the way they responded after the big play (in overtime). That was huge. That said a lot about this group. Thank God we got away with a win and hopefully it will ignite us to play a little bit better this week.”
Chiefs DE George Karlaftis Gets Bold Prediction for Week 3