The Kansas City Chiefs' pass rush has been virtually nonexistent after an encouraging start to the 2026 season. Kansas City sacked Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix four times in Week 1. In that outing, the Chiefs finished with a pressure rate of 48.5%, and their pressure even led to a lost fumble and an interception by Nix.
In the rematch in Week 8, it was about as opposite an outing as you could have gotten from the Chiefs' pass rush. Batted passes at the line of scrimmage were really the only way they thwarted Nix on pass attempts. He did spray a throw or two as well, but overall, Kansas City hit a new low in a year when the pass rush has flopped.
Chiefs accomplish something they have not done since 2012
A few stats were tough to swallow after the game against the Denver Broncos last Sunday, but one pointed out by Benjamin Solak of ESPN takes the cake. Solak posted the following stat, as produced by ESPN Research: "Chiefs pressured Bo Nix on 2 of 34 dropbacks (6%), the lowest for any team since 2024 Week 5, and the lowest for the Chiefs since 2012 Week 8."
That predates the Andy Reid era in Kansas City. The Chiefs finished that campaign 14 years ago with 27 sacks, tied for the third-lowest mark in the NFL that year.
Chiefs already on pace for league worst ranks this season
Entering Week 9 of this season, the Chiefs have just nine sacks, tied with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins for the worst mark in the NFL. That's just a shade over 1.2 sacks per game. Kansas City is tied for 29th in pressure percentage (19.3%), while their database has K.C. 23rd in hurry percentage (6.7%).
George Karlaftis leads the team with two sacks, while two defensive backs (Nohl Williams, Chamarri Conner) have one sack apiece. Combined, those three players account for nearly half of the team total.
Chris Jones has just a half-sack, and his season could not have gone much worse so far. He also ranks fourth among defensive tackles in average annual salary, according to Spotrac ($31.75 million). Talk about a bad investment.
The same ol' questions for K.C.
The same old questions persist for this Chiefs pass rush. Will Jones turn it up a notch or two and get rolling? Is it possible for a group of defensive ends who are primarily edge setters to find consistency in creating pressure? Will the younger names, namely R Mason Thomas, find their footing before it is too late?
A revamp of spots on the defensive line felt enticing in the offseason. But with a pair of rookies and a nose tackle being the most significant changes, pure pass-rush juice was still lacking. Creating pressure continues to be an issue as Kansas City enters the second half of its season, and looking ahead to next offseason, pass rusher is sure to be a top team need once again.
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