In three consecutive games, the Kansas City Chiefs have failed to record a single sack. That stat looks ugly on the surface and scares the fans. But the real numbers tell a different story about this defense. They are actually one of the best units in the league at getting pressure.
The Box Score Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Sports Illustrated broke down the advanced metrics this week and found the truth. The Chiefs sit at No. 6 in the NFL for pressure rate. They rank No. 8 for quick pressure rate and No. 13 for non-blitz pressure rate. These figures reflect a top-10 pass rush unit rather than a fractured one. The problem isn’t getting to the quarterback. It is finishing the play.
The team is dead last in the league with a pressure-to-sack ratio of 5.7 percent. They are No. 31 in sack rate at just 2.5 percent. The line is creating chaos, but the defense just can’t convert that chaos into points on the board. It is a frustrating trend, but it is fixable. The talent is there to turn those hits into sacks once the bye week ends.
George Karlaftis Is the Proof
Look at George Karlaftis for a clear example of this weird stat gap. Against Kirk Cousins on Sunday, Pro Football Focus credited him with seven quarterback hits. This outing brought his season total to 12 quarterback hits. Yet, he has zero sacks to show for it.
That is a massive disconnect between effort and result. Other players like Greg Rousseau and Dallas Turner have six sacks each, but Karlaftis is tied for the league lead in hits without the final reward. The film shows he is winning his battles. He just needs the luck to turn those hits into the box score stat. The unit is doing the hard work; the finish line is just a few yards away.
Young Guys Are Stepping Up Too
Lots of young players also are flashing skills that the basic stats miss. R Mason Thomas has shown he can accelerate towards the quarterback at a scary rate despite having just one sack. During these early weeks, former first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah has delivered some of his finest professional reps.
Even Ashton Gillotte is performing well in deeper metrics. His defensive impact per rush attempt ranks as the 10th-best in the league through four weeks.
