The 2024 NFL season has been a rough one to start for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. In Weeks 1 and 2, Bolton faced harsh criticism for his inconsistent play, lapses in coverage, and shaky-at-best tackling that reared its ugly head in some nail-biting finishes against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
Bolton appeared a step slow on the field, and it led to opposing tight ends being able to exploit Kansas City on defense as the Chiefs were allowing the most receiving yards in the league to tight ends through the first two games of the season.
It's been no secret to this point that Bolton has always struggled to run with offensive skill players in coverage and that's contributed to some rather rough performances for the fourth-year linebacker. With Bolton due for a big money extension if the Chiefs want to keep him beyond 2024, that aspect of his game is being held under a microscope, with many questioning if Bolton is truly worth that kind of money.
However, with the Chiefs' offense still struggling to find a consistent rhythm, and Kansas City needing the defense to close out another close game against the Atlanta Falcons on primetime Sunday Night Football, Bolton was there to answer the call.
Chiefs fans were reminded of just how important Nick Bolton is and can be to this defense in a win over Atlanta.
Bolton was the best defensive player on the field for Kansas City against Atlanta and there's also an argument to be made for him being the best player for the Chiefs in the team's 22-17 victory on Sunday night.
Bolton led the way for Kansas City with a team-leading eight total tackles, with multiple TFL on the night. Bolton was seemingly getting into Atlanta's backfield all night long, which was a big reason why the Falcons were only able to muster 63 yards on 23 carries.
Kansas City also did a much better job limiting the receiving yards of tight ends as Kyle Pitts only had 2 catches for 53 yards. Even then, both of his catches were more to blame on the Chiefs' safeties and not Bolton.
When defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is able to simplify Bolton's assignment in coverage and let him play close to the line of scrimmage, he can play to his strengths. That's not something that was happening in the first couple of games. In fact, Bolton was able to bat down or affect multiple throws from Kirk Cousins of the Falcons doing so.
Of course, Bolton also had the game-sealing tackle for a loss on running back Bijan Robinson, stamping his name all over the win and ultimately reminding people of the player that he is and can be. There's no doubt Bolton struggled in the first couple of games, but he was also coming off a preseason injury and looked to be playing timid and out of place. Now, with a big-time performance under his belt, Chiefs fans can probably expect to see more of Bolton's good side.
Whether all of that means Bolton is worth a big money extension or not can still be debated, and there's certainly an argument on either end of the spectrum, but more often than not, when the coaches utilize Bolton correctly and he is put in a position to make a play, he typically does
There's a reason the coaches have so much confidence in Bolton and trust him enough to give him the green dot. He brings so much value to the defense that is not seen by the average fan. Bolton has his shortcomings and they are likely to pop up a couple more times, but it's important to remember that there are still games where Bolton is the best defensive player on the field. Sunday night was yet another example of that as without Bolton's instincts and timely tackles, Kansas City doesn't win.