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The toughest matchups in George Karlaftis’ rookie season

By Lucas Strozinsky

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis after being selected as the thirtieth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis after being selected as the thirtieth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs downfield for a first down in the fourth quarter AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs downfield for a first down in the fourth quarter AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. /

Joe Burrow/La’el Collins, Cincinnati Bengals

In arguably the most frustrating and difficult to swallow losses that the Chiefs have had in a very long time, one of the glaring issues was the inability to finish the job and failing to sack Joe Burrow, despite plenty of opportunities.

Joe Burrow has that Tom Brady trait of incredible pocket presence and overall awareness. I’ve seen a lot of people compare Burrow to Brady, including Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. If the 2022 AFC Championship Game was any testament, the Chiefs HAVE to be able to finish when rushing the passer, since it arguably cost them a championship last season. Burrow is not the easiest QB to sack but he’s far from the hardest. According to PFF ($), Burrow had a Pressure-to-Sack % (The Percentage of Pressures Turned into Sacks) of 29.5% on dropbacks that lasted at least 2.5 seconds, good enough for third-highest in the NFL.

La’el Collins is a good tackle. He was released by the Cowboys earlier this year, but he was still a very good tackle last season, who was excellent in the run game and solid in pass protection. He’ll be a tough matchup for George Karlaftis in an area in which GK still needs to grow.

Week 13 in Cincinnati will be a game that means a lot to players and coaches that were on the Chiefs last season. Like the game against the Rams, it will be another measuring stick game for Karlaftis to see how much he’s grown throughout the season.

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