KC Chiefs rookie report: How did they look against Bengals?

George Karlaftis, Defensive End (Round 1, Pick 30)

It was a middle-of-the-road game for George Karlaftis on Sunday against Cincinnati. He played 33 of 72 defensive snaps, 16 rushing the passer, and recorded two pressures, including one sack late in the game. He was even asked to play in coverage on two snaps but was not targeted. He wasn’t fantastic on Sunday, but he wasn’t underwhelming either. It was one of his better/more productive days pass rush-wise of the season, although he could have been better against the run.

George Karlaftis is starting to turn the corner as an edge defender. Since the bye week, he’s improved as a run defender and is starting to figure it out as a pass rusher. The Chiefs have been inconsistent in generating pressure with four, so someone other than Chris Jones needs to emerge, whether that be Karlaftis or Frank Clark.

Trent McDuffie, Cornerback (Round 1, Pick 21)

It was a rough day for the Chiefs’ defense as a whole on Sunday, but Trent McDuffie was arguably the best player on the unit, outside of Chris Jones. In 42 coverage snaps, he allowed two receptions on three targets for 17 yards and an 81.3 passer rating. He also recorded four tackles and did not miss one on a day when the team had a very bad day in that category. He was solid both in coverage and against the run. He, unfortunately, had a defensive pass interference call against him, which wiped out a Juan Thornhill interception late in the first quarter, though the call was fairly weak.

As the first pick in his team’s draft class, there is a lot of pressure on Trent McDuffie, but he’s living up to the challenge so far. Especially with the Kansas City safeties struggling as of late, there will be a lot more pressure on the Chiefs’ cornerbacks to perform well and McDuffie is playing well, despite being a rookie.

Joshua Williams, Cornerback (Round 4, Pick 135)

It was not one of Joshua Williams’ best performances on Sunday. In 40 coverage snaps, he was targeted six times and allowed five catches, 77 yards, one touchdown, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Not great. Ja’Marr Chase had 47 yards against him, while Samaje Perine and Tee Higgins had 4 and 26, respectively. He also had a declined illegal contact penalty on the play before Cincinnati’s game-winning touchdown and also had a missed tackle. On perhaps the most important play of the game, Joe Burrow found Higgins for a 14-yard gain on 3rd-and-11 to put the game officially out of reach for the Chiefs, in which Williams was the cover guy on the play. Although he allowed the game-sealing catch, he had pretty good coverage on the play, never allowing Higgins to have more than 2 yards of separation. It was just a great throw and catch by two great players.

Joshua Williams has struggled over the past three games, allowing 12 receptions on 15 targets for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and a 158.3 passer rating. This isn’t unexpected as he’s a rookie from a Division II school and the Chiefs are deciding to do a trial by fire with their rookie corners. The Bengals also have an elite receiving core and I’m never going to blame a fourth-round rookie for not shutting down an elite player. Williams will get better as he plays more snaps, but Steve Spagnuolo will continue to put pressure on him and he will play an important role in another Super Bowl run for the Chiefs.