The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t as impressive on defense in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts as they were in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
Granted, it was a high bar. The Chiefs’ defense held Denver to just 10 points and 176 total yards, while posting four sacks and forcing two turnovers. Against the Colts, Kansas City’s defense allowed 30 points and 329 total yards. It snagged one turnover, but recorded zero sacks.
DE George Karlaftis Admits Kansas City Chiefs’ Defense Missed Sack Opportunities vs. Colts
Despite playing an entire extra quarter (overtime), Chiefs defenders couldn’t bring Colts quarterback Daniel Jones down for a single sack. While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Karlaftis said the defense is determined to continue improving the pass rush.
“We missed some opportunities there,” Karlaftis said. “That’s something that we emphasized in the offseason. We watched the film to see where we can improve in order to make those impact sacks. We did effect the quarterback in other ways I feel, but we just got to get home, and we’re going to do our best to get that done.”
George Karlaftis keeps it simple after the #Chiefs finished Sunday without a sack, pointing to missed opportunities against the Colts.
Only two Chiefs defensive linemen have a sack this season — R Mason Thomas and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Karlaftis has eight total tackles and three quarterback pressures so far, but has yet to log a sack.
George Karlaftis looking for bounce back year in 2026
It will be crucial to the success of Kansas City’s defense for Karlaftis to start bringing opposing QBs down. Karlaftis was selected by the Chiefs with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was stellar during his first two years in the NFL, racking up 16.6 sacks and 80 total tackles. Unfortunately, his sack production reduced over his next two seasons to 14.
It was revealed during the offseason that Karlaftis played the second half of 2025 with a broken right hand. That definitely had an impact on his game, as he recorded just one of his six sacks on the season after breaking his hand. So far in 2026 Karlaftis leads all Chiefs defensive linemen in snaps played with 102, and has also played 10 on special teams. Karlaftis is under contract through the 2030 season.
George Karlaftis Makes Painful Admission About Performance in Week 2