For a team built on explosive offense, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ playoff hopes may now hinge on fixing a glaring defensive weakness, and linebacker Nick Bolton is making sure his coaches know it. He sat down with Chiefs Mitch Holthus and Senior Team Reporter Matt McMullen for an interview ahead of their Week 14 matchup against the Houston Texans. There, he made a special demand to the defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.

“I think they (Texans) were seven for nine on third down. So we got to find a way to get that number down. We want around 30% or less. So we got to find ways of rush working with coverage and find a way to get some negative plays on first and second down and give us some longer third downs and let our rush get out to the passer,” Bolton said.

The linebacker has identified the exact pain point. Only his numbers were not accurate. Let’s check the Week 13 games of both teams.

The Chiefs lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. During the game, America’s Team recorded 9 of 16 third downs (56.25% efficiency), while the Chiefs were stuck at 5 of 13 third downs (38.46% efficiency). So, Spagnuolo needs to use his defense carefully. If he has seen them make mistakes on third downs, then they need to address this issue.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones is struggling this year. Linebackers Leo Chenal and Jaylen Watson also need to pick up their play. That inability to get off the field is precisely what Houston thrives on, as evidenced by their own third-down efficiency against the Indianapolis Colts.

They converted 6 of 13 third downs (46.15% efficiency) while stopping the Colts at only 3 of 10 third downs (30% efficiency). So, the coordinator must pay attention to their defensive leader.

Nick Bolton has the most tackles on the Chiefs with 100 tackles in 12 games. If he has seen them make mistakes on third downs, then they need to address this issue. The Week 14 game is extremely important for both teams looking to qualify for the playoffs.

Nick Bolton & co. will be under tremendous pressure against the Texans

Both teams are coming with different mindsets. The Texans are traveling to Arrowhead with seven wins, including their four-game winning streak. They are third in the AFC South, but only need one win to reach the top of their division. On the other hand, the Chiefs are also third in the AFC West, but the division winners, the Denver Broncos, already have 10 wins in 12 games. So, Nick Bolton & co. need to win all their remaining games if they want to qualify for the playoffs.

The results after the bye week have also disappointed them. They lost the Week 11 game against the Broncos, won the next game against the Colts in overtime, but lost to the Cowboys 31-28. With each loss, their chances of qualifying for the playoffs have shrunk.

According to the New York Times playoff simulator, the AFC West team only has a 37% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. However, they need to work on their mistakes to win games. They need to go on a winning spree. If they don’t, then the dreams of Chiefs Kingdom would shatter. It would also mark the first season under their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

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