26 and Counting: Nick Bolton Passes Derrick Johnson for a Chiefs Record

Chiefs Kingdom, our middle linebacker just put his name above a Ring of Honor legend.

Nick Bolton made 11 tackles in Sunday's 22-6 win over the Chargers, the 26th game of his career with double-digit tackles. That's 26 and counting. That moved him out of a tie with Derrick Johnson for the most in franchise history, per Chiefs.com, which also notes Bolton ranks eighth in the NFL in that category since 2021.

The timing is wild. Bolton had tied Johnson against the Colts, the same day Johnson went into the Ring of Honor. "I knew going into the Colts game," Bolton told KSHB 41. "I missed a couple tackles, so I didn't deserve it." Drue Tranquill kept his scouting report short: "He's a beast."

Our Take: This record fits Bolton perfectly. It's not a flashy stat, it's a show-up-every-week stat, and that's what this defense has been at 5-0. Four sacks, two takeaways and six points allowed on Sunday. KSHB notes Bolton has 660 career tackles, still a long way from Johnson's franchise record of 1,163, but he's only 79 games in.

What to watch: the prime-time showdown with Seattle on Sunday. If Bolton keeps stacking 10-tackle games, Kingdom, we're in great shape.

Sources: Chiefs.com, KSHB 41