Tag: Nick Bolton

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton discusses the impact of creating turnovers: ‘It definitely felt big for us’

Kansas City #Chiefs LB Nick Bolton discusses the impact of creating turnovers: ‘It definitely felt big for us’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton spoke with reporters on Tuesday about his and the team’s big game, which involved forcing turnovers in Week 15.

On Cleveland’s first offensive play of the second half, Bolton picked off Jameis Winston on a pass intended for Nick Chubb at the Browns’ 34-yard line. It was Bolton’s first interception of the season and the fourth of his career.

“Yeah, especially going down the stretch into the postseason. Definitely turnovers giving the ball to offensive short fields and creating some negative play. So it definitely felt big for us. I’ve kind of been working on it.” said Bolton. “Attacking the football just hasn’t come our way a little bit. So, we’re hoping this is just a one game that kind of continue for many. We talked about it all the time. They come in bunches. They did last week, and I hoped to bring it down to this Saturday.”

Bolton and Drue Tranquill split a sack of Winston, making it five sacks on the day for the Chiefs defense. He finished the day with five tackles (three solo), one interception, one quarterback hit, one pass defensed, and a half-sack.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton evaluates Browns standout player: ‘A Hall of Fame running back’

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton evaluates Browns Nick Chubb: ‘A Hall of Fame running back’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs enter a potential trap game on their way to the postseason with this Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Records are thrown out the window late in the season, especially with teams hoping to play spoiler to end the season.

Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton shared his thoughts on one of the Browns’ best players, Nick Chubb, as a key player to watch for the defense.

“I think early, when he first came back, trying to feel it out, man,” said Bolton. “Now he’s trying to get his footing a little bit. You can kind of tell his cuts, his vision, and all those things are still there. I think before he got hurt, he was on the way to being a Hall of Fame running back. Injuries kind of held him back a little bit, man, but you can still see those great things that he has with the ball in his hands.”

Last season, in a Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chubb suffered a serious injury to a knee he had previously injured in 2015 and was carted off the field. He missed the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a torn MCL and a damaged ACL. Chubb made his 2024 season debut on October 20th, at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, scoring a rushing touchdown in his first game in 398 days.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton earns game ball for marvelous effort against Raiders in Week 13

#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton earned a game ball from Pro Football Network for his outstanding performance against the #Raiders in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has been a force to be reckoned with this season, and with five games remaining on the defending Super Bowl champions’ schedule, the unit doesn’t have any margin for error.

In Kansas City’s latest win, a 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday, the Chiefs relied on their defense to stymie Aidan O’Connell during a two-minute drill that nearly ended in disaster at Arrowhead Stadium.

But, a heroic effort by fan-favorite linebacker Nick Bolton on the Raiders’ final drive made all the difference. The former Missouri Tiger recovered a fumble with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that ultimately led Kansas City to victory.

Bolton earned a game ball from the experts at Pro Football Network for his outstanding contributions in the Chiefs’ Week 13 win.

Here’s what PFN had to say about their decision to recognize Bolton:

“No matter your thoughts on the Raiders’ false-start-that-wasn’t on Las Vegas’ final offensive snap of Week 13, someone in Silver and Black still should have jumped on Aidan O’Connell’s fumble.

Nick Bolton did instead, which is why he gets a Game Ball for the latest escape act from the Chiefs.

Bolton’s fumble recovery capped another solid game for the Chiefs’ fourth-year linebacker, who led all players with 10 solo tackles (including one for loss) in the Chiefs’ Black Friday divisional tilt.

The two-time defending champs are now 10-0 in one-score games. Sustainable? Probably not. But there’s a very good chance that record would be 9-1 if Bolton weren’t on the field Friday.”

Stay tuned to see if Bolton can replicate his stellar performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 as Kansas City makes its push for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton recalls wild ending to Week 13 win over the Raiders: ‘Right place at the right time’

Kansas City #Chiefs LB Nick Bolton recalls wild ending to Week 13 win over the Las Vegas #Raiders: ‘Right place at the right time’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton stepped comfortably into the role of hero on the field during Friday’s 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. In his postgame press conference, he recalled the bizarre ending, which featured the game-ending takeaway.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he was trying to make a pre-snap check to one of his wideouts,” said Bolton. “The center kind of had a miscommunication hiked the ball early, and the ball kind of fell on the ground. The quarterback fell on it. Kind of squirt out the back part by his feet in the right place at the right time with the football.”

In the game’s final seconds, Bolton recovered a fumbled shotgun snap to return the ball to the Kansas City offense and seal the victory. The recovery marked Bolton’s first fumble recovery of the 2024 season and the second of his career. He recalled waiting for the umpires to decide at the end of the fumble recovery.

“I thought it was an illegal shift for illegal formation; maybe I didn’t think we’re offsides. I think we were each on the snap early because it was a botched snap,” said Bolton. “So honestly, I knew we got the ball pretty much just wait for the confirmation if it was on them. I think we got a 10-second runoff for like one second left, something that would help us out in our favor.”

Bolton registered a game-high 11 tackles (10 solo), including one for loss in today’s game, tying his single-game mark for tackles in the 2024 season. He also came up big in other notable moments in the game, first breaking up a pass on third-and-four that forced a missed field goal attempt and joining Charles Omenihu to stop Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah on fourth-and-one at the start of the third quarter to stall another promising drive.

Chiefs clinched playoff berth after Week 13 victory over Raiders

The Kansas City #Chiefs clinched a playoff berth after their Week 13 victory over the Las Vegas #Raiders on Black Friday.

The Kansas City Chiefs guaranteed their spot in the AFC playoffs after securing a Week 13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

The Chiefs seemed destined to lose their matchup against Las Vegas after Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell led a heroic two-minute drill that got his team in field goal range facing a two-point deficit.

But, when rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson botched a snap to O’Connell with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Kansas City’s defense made the most of its opportunity to close out the game.

Star linebacker Nick Bolton lept on the ball, and the Chiefs took possession after the referees called a controversial penalty that Kansas City had the option to decline.

This was among the Chiefs’ sloppiest wins in a season that has seen the defending Super Bowl champions stack victories seemingly against all odds.

With its spot in the playoffs now secured, Kansas City officially controls its own destiny in the race to earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and a coveted bye in the Wild Card round.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton reveals his plans for the short week ‘Black Friday’ game vs. Raiders

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton reveals his plans for the short week ‘Black Friday’ game vs. the Las Vegas #Raiders | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton spoke with the media via Zoom on Monday about the team’s quick turnaround for their Week 13 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. The AFC West rivals will face off at Arrowhead Stadium for another holiday matchup on Black Friday, almost a year after they crossed paths on Christmas Day last season.

“(I) definitely have family coming in town – Thanksgiving. Everybody understands that, but – just a short week coming from an away game, try to get guys healthy as much as we can and just get back in the swing of things. It’s a short week.” said Bolton. “We have a different opponent – completely different offense. Then, they (Las Vegas Raiders) have a new quarterback as well – I think the quarterback (Raiders QB Gardner Minshew) got hurt as well so we have to figure out where we’re going to go in that direction. There’s a lot of moving parts but I think that’s the biggest challenge going into this week.”

The heated division game doesn’t obscure that this Thursday is Thanksgiving, and the Chiefs’ starting middle linebacker shared what he’s thankful for this year.

“I’m thankful for my family and my inner circle,” said Bolton. “Those are those I depend on throughout the week and throughout this season. Health is one of those very fragile things in terms of football. So grateful for that as well.”

The Chiefs are leading the AFC West and are close to clinching another title. The Raiders are struggling this season but are still confident playing in Kansas City after last year’s upset victory, giving the Chiefs more incentive not to take them lightly.

Nick Bolton says Broncos QB Bo Nix will ‘definitely’ be a challenge for Chiefs going forward

“He has great ‘escapability’ and great feel for the game,” Nick Bolton said of Bo Nix. “He’s definitely going to be a challenge for us.”

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix went toe to toe with Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Sunday. Nix put the Broncos in position to win the game at the end, but the Chiefs blocked Wil Lutz’s last-second field goal attempt to seal a 16-14 result.

After the game, Mahomes praised Nix for his leadership and told the rookie it was just the first of many matchups they’ll have in the future. Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton also gave his opponent a positive review.

“I think he does a good job of taking what’s given to him,” Bolton said. “They make it easy for him with reads and pre-snap movement and getting to the line early. I think those things help him progress as the game goes on and he tries to get the feel for it.

“He can also use his legs – that’s something that’s going to be a challenge for us as we continue to play him next time. He can use his legs to extend the play and get out of the pocket, he has great ‘escapability’ and great feel for the game. He’s definitely going to be a challenge for us.”

Nix completed 73.3% of his passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers against the Chiefs. He didn’t have an impact on the ground on Kansas City, but Nix’s 290 rushing yards this season rank fifth among QBs and his four rushing touchdowns are tied for third.

For the first time since Peyton Manning’s retirement, the Broncos appear to have a quarterback who can challenge the Chiefs.

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Chiefs LB Nick Bolton describes his game-changing sack in Week 10: ‘I just had to make the layup’

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton describes his game-changing sack in Week 10: ‘I just had to make the layup’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs defense pitched a shutout in the second half of Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos. Nick Bolton made another impactful play in the game as he secured an impressive sack on Bo Nix that changed the pace the rookie quarterback was creating after two first-half touchdown passes.

“(Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Steve Spagnuolo) ‘Spags’ saw something throughout the week and waited for the right position to call it,” said Bolton. “It was something new we put in this week. The back went over to block (Justin Reid) J. Reid, and I was free; I just had to make the layup. I missed the last couple ones the last couple of games, so it felt good to get that one.”

The Broncos’ sack from Bolton cost them 16 yards, knocking them out of realistic field goal position and changing the game’s momentum. Nix and the Denver offense were moving smoothly in the first half, and the Bolton sack was a much-needed message to turn the tide back to Kansas City’s defensive dominance.

“I think he did a good job playing within the system,” said Bolton of Nix’s performance. “He had a couple of tough throws. I thought we could have done a better job mixing up our looks and make him think a little bit more pre-snap. Overall, I thought he played a pretty decent game today.”

Bolton praised the young Broncos star in his first AFC West battle with the Chiefs. Both teams will meet in Denver in the final week of the regular season.

Nick Bolton addresses media after Chiefs’ win vs. Raiders

See what #Chiefs LB Nick Bolton had to say to veteran NFL reporter Darren Smith after Kansas City’s win over the #Raiders.

On Sunday afternoon the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders to continue this season 7-0. Star linebacker Nick Bolton spoke to NFL reporter Darren Smith in the locker room following the big win for the franchise.

Bolton made an incredible 9 tackles in the Chiefs’ latest matchup against the Raiders and was a key part of Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive strategy that held Las Vegas to just 20 points.

In the locker room after the game’s conclusion, Bolton talked to Smith about defensive lineman Mike Pennel’s forced fumble, Kansas City’s red zone defense, and his thoughts on the Chiefs’ Week 9 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Listen to Bolton’s full comments to Smith in this video, which was posted to Twitter:

 

Kansas City will get an extra rest day heading into their tilt against Tampa Bay on “Monday Night Football,” and fans should expect Bolton to make his presence felt in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV rematch.

Nick Bolton addresses media after Chiefs’ Week 7 win vs. 49ers

Take a look at what #Chiefs LB Nick Bolton said to NFL reporter Darren Smith after Kansas City’s Week 7 win over the San Francisco #49ers.

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton is having an incredible season, with 30 solo tackles logged through six games.

The former Missouri Tiger was a key part of Kansas City’s defensive game plan against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 and logged six tackles in the Chiefs’ winning effort at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Bolton stopping the offense was key in securing the win for Kansas City and after two back-to-back Super Bowl wins including last season’s victory over San Fransisco this linebacker has the experience to get the job done.

He spoke to NFL reporter Darren Smith after the Chiefs’ victory over San Francisco and shared his thoughts on the Super Bowl LVIII rematch.

Check out this video of Bolton’s comments, which was posted to Twitter by Smith on Sunday evening:

Expect Bolton to be a key cog in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s strategy to contain the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense in Week 8.