time kansas city chiefs When drafting George Karlaftis as a first-round pick near the end of Night 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft, general manager Brett Veach said it was a bet on his potential and future. “He’s young, relentless, and really dedicated to his craft.” Veitch said then.. “Everyone at Purdue said he had great football ahead of him.”
What Karlaftis did in the 4th quarter vs. Saturday houston texans That's proof that the pass rusher is delivering on that promise.
Karlaftis had three sacks in the final frame against the Texans, helping the Chiefs advance to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight year. The three sacks were another career best for the pass rusher, who had eight sacks this season.
The only thing Karlaftis has known since entering the league is the AFC title game.
His first sack, on Houston quarterback CJ Stroud, came at a pivotal moment in the contest. With the Chiefs leading 20-12, the Texans offense faced a fourth-and-10 situation at Kansas City's own 40-yard line. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans wanted to keep his offense on the field and extend the offense.
Karlaftis had other ideas.
Houston will deploy three receivers on the right side, leaving tight end Dalton Schultz on the left side, across from Karlaftis. When standout defender Chris Jones lines up on the opposite end of Karlaftis, Houston slides their protection toward him and away from Karlaftis.
That left the third-year pass rusher to work one-on-one against the tight end, with Karlaftis beating Schultz with a quick rip move and chasing Stroud for his first sack of the night. The Texans lost 16 yards and lost control of the football, but the Chiefs have incredible field position to mount their next attack. They were forced to punt in the end, but Karlaftis' sack completely turned the battle for field position on its head.
His second sack came late in the quarter when the Texans faced a 1st-and-10 on their own. On this play, Karlaftis first broke through Schultz's chip on the right side of the offense, then beat rookie right tackle Blake Fisher with a speed move to the outside.
This play was the first offensive snap of the drive. The final offensive snap of that drive? Another bag from Karlaftis:
This play is a great example of the cat-and-mouse game that goes on before the snap. Before the play, the Chiefs showed pressure, with linebackers Nick Bolton and Drew Tranquill walking in blitz alignment. Stroud sees this and checks on the line. This includes adjusting his protection and bringing Schultz into the formation, who was lined up wide.
Mr. Schultz will now stand across from Mr. Karlaftis.
However, Kansas City did not blitz, instead sending just four men after Stroud. But that was enough. As seen on the first snap, the pass rusher used a rip move to beat the tight end and get past the running back for Stroud's third sack of the night.
Leading by 11 points, Lyons sent a field goal team into the game. However, the kick was blocked, effectively ending the threat of a comeback.
The Chiefs return to the AFC Championship Game for the third game of Karlaftis' young career. A big reason for that was the best effort of his career in the fourth quarter.
And there's further evidence that he's fulfilling the promise he showed the Chiefs in 2022.
