Early in the season, the Kansas City Chiefs defense couldn’t force a turnover. But lately, they’ve been making up for lost time.
The Chiefs forced two turnovers and held the Los Angeles Rams offense in check as they took down the defending Super Bowl champs 26-10 Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, just like he did a week ago against the Chargers, sealed the game with a pick late in the fourth quarter. Bolton’s pick came after defensive end Carlos Dunlap got his hand up and tipped the ball.
“Our D-line did a hell of a job again today generating pressure or getting their hands up,” Bolton said. “That was 75 percent him, 25 percent me. Also, we’re just catching balls that are coming to us.
“We had a couple ones early in the year that we just dropped. So we just made a focus on that and get the ones they give us and execute down the stretch and try to get our hands on as many footballs as we can.”
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed also had an interception, putting the Chiefs offense back on the field just two plays after Patrick Mahomes threw an interception in the end zone. It was the second straight game the Chiefs defense forced two turnovers.
The Rams, however, were playing with an offense that hardly resembled the one that played in the Super Bowl last year. Down two offensive linemen, their top two receivers and starting quarterback, the Rams struggled moving the ball but also had difficulty even getting the play off in time.
Third stringer Bryce Perkins made his first career start and completed 13 of 23 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown to go with the two interceptions. The Rams (3-8) didn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter.
“We tackled pretty good today,” said Bolton, who had 11 stops. “I feel like we tackled pretty good down the stretch and forced them to throw check-downs, especially at the end. Everything was short.”
The Chiefs defense gave up just 198 yards of total offense and had three sacks, one each by Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and safety Bryan Cook, who filled in for starter Juan Thornhill (calf).
“Defensively I thought we played a heck of a football game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Whether it was Bolton or Cook stepping up and in and doing a nice job. (Sneed) has a huge pick for us and I thought the defensive front played strong against the run and the pass.”
Next week, the Chiefs (9-2) will travel to Cincinnati for a rematch with the Bengals, who beat them twice last year, including in the AFC championship game. Something Bolton remembers all too well.
“We didn’t tackle well,” Bolton recalled. “We didn’t tackle the quarterback. We had a lot of missed opportunities to end the game with sacks and getting behind the sticks and we didn’t do that. So that sticks out to me, and I also had two dropped interceptions that game. So that’s one of the things that stung during the offseason.”
