After recording his first career fumble recovery last year in Denver, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton celebrated by throwing the ball into the stands.
He asked the fans for the ball back, but the request was denied. So last week when Bolton intercepted a pass in the closing seconds to seal the team’s win against the Chargers, Bolton learned from his mistake.
“I didn’t do what I did in Denver,” Bolton said. “I didn’t throw it in the stands. I definitely kept it.”
The Chiefs are hoping Bolton and their defense can get a few more turnovers when they play the Los Angeles Rams at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Last week Bolton became the first player to record 10 tackles and get an interception and a fumble recovery in a game this season.
“I don’t think I’ve forced enough turnovers in the NFL,” Bolton said. “So that’s kind of been a point of emphasis for me. I get a lot of tackles but I kind of want to change the game a little bit and get the ball back to Patrick (Mahomes) as many times as possible.”
Bolton, who is the team’s nominee for the 2022 Art Rooney sportsmanship award and leads the Chiefs (8-2) with 95 tackles, said he is still working hard to get better. In fact, the second-round pick last year out of Missouri is out to prove a point to not only his critics, but more importantly, to himself.
“I always had confidence in myself,” Bolton said. “I never thought I was the fifth linebacker in my class coming out. So that’s kind of been my mindset, not really proving anybody wrong, just proving myself right.
“Every single day I just got to put my best foot forward. That’s helped me be where I’m at right now and I’m still growing. I’m still progressing trying to get better.”
The Chiefs are also trying to do that, and they’ve had remarkable success in November and December under coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs have won 25 games in a row in November and December, and Bolton has been a big part of that the last two seasons.
“We understand that good teams catch their stride this part of the year,” Bolton said. “And that’s kind of the teams that take over in the playoffs. So we understand we have to keep getting better each and every week so we can put ourselves in a good position for the playoffs.”
SMITH-SCHUSTER TO PLAY
After missing last week’s game against the Chargers with a concussion, Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will play Sunday against the Rams.
“JuJu did a good job (in practice),” Reid said. “He looked good. He’ll be available.”
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney, however, will not play Sunday. Last week against the Chargers, Toney left in the first half after reaggravating a hamstring injury that he had while with the Giants.
“He just felt it kind of coming back,” Reid said. “So we just said let’s not go any further with it and make it more serious. So we backed off it.”
