Chiefs linebacker room is experiencing a shaky start to the new season

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of trust in their linebacker room. Part of the defense's success last season was due to what was described as a smart unit, especially in the spine of the defense. Nick Bolton has been continually lauded for his instincts and studious nature by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Meanwhile, Drue Tranquill helped lead a deep playoff run by his impact on crucial downs.

But for what is generally seen as a deep Chiefs linebacker room, it has been a bit of a shaky start for the first two weeks. Bolton did miss some reps in training camp with an elbow injury. And early on, Tranquill seems to be receiving somewhat different usage than last season. If there is an area of improvement for the Chiefs after a 2-0 start, Kansas City's linebackers are worth monitoring.

Up-And-Down Start Against Bengals

The Bengals ended up going down and getting a field goal on the opening drive of the game. However, you could have argued that they should have been forced to punt. Bolton dropped a possible interception on a third-and-three attempt from the Kansas City 43-yard line. And similar to last week against Baltimore, the linebackers got pushed backwards early on against the run. Bolton has had some struggles in block deconstruction. Though, seeing Tranquill struggle to get off of blocks quicker is a bit surprising.

It just seems like both Bolton and Tranquill are late with their reactions and are missing tackle attempts that they usually do not miss. With a slow start once again this week, the linebacker duo came off like their head was constantly spinning. It allowed the Bengals to stay ahead of the chains and on schedule throughout the first half.

Missed Opportunities Keep Defense On The Field

Outside of that early dropped pass that could have been an interception, the Chiefs' linebackers routinely missed opportunities that kept Kansas City's defense on the field. Getting lost in coverage was a major issue. For instance, Joe Burrow had a lot of success targeting the tight ends throughout Sunday afternoon.

Mike Gesicki led Cincinnati in receiving yards (91) and receptions (seven). Multiple times, he was able to find the soft spot in coverage, breaking towards the outside edge of the field. Rookie tight end Erick All had four catches and even found some tough extra yards after a couple of receptions. Drew Sample even gained some meaningful hidden yards on some short catches. All three of those tight ends averaged eight yards per reception or more.

Bolton and Tranquill were caught watching the quarterback's eyes on a few of those completions. On the other hand, more missed tackles occurred in space from Bolton and Tranquill when they had chances to get an immediate stop after the catch. If teams continue to get those yards after the catch every week, Kansas City will have to adjust who covers who in pass coverage.

Can Linebackers Make Strides In Pass Coverage?

The chances to make strides in pass coverage may be tested soon for the Kansas City Chiefs linebackers. Next week, Atlanta will have options like Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson to target in the middle portion of the field. Afterwards, the Chargers offer an intriguing tight end duo of Hayden Hurst and Will Dissly.

Bolton and Tranquill are still going to be counted on to make game-changing plays and lead the defense throughout the season. But for how much trust and faith that each usually earn in the Chiefs defense, it has been a couple of performances that they would like to have back. With defense being a year-to-year case study, can Kansas City and their linebackers get back to playing more sound?