Chiefs Proud of ‘Relentless’ George Karlaftis for 10-Sack Season

The Kansas City Chiefs' pass rush has generally graded out as one of the best in the NFL this season. A big reason why is the improved play of second-year defensive end George Karlaftis, who just reached a pretty significant milestone in the team's recent win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

With 1.5 sacks in Week 17, Karlaftis crossed the 10-sack threshold for the first time in his career. The 30th overall pick in last year's NFL Draft has 10.5 through 16 games, which is a nice increase over his 6.5-sack mark in a full 17-game season as a rookie. Additionally, Karlaftis has upped his totals in tackles by 14 and quarterback hits by six. By just about any account, the former Purdue Boilermaker has progressed nicely in his sophomore campaign.

Speaking to the media this week, defensive line coach Joe Cullen praised Karlaftis for reaching one of the biggest milestones a lineman can check off to start their career. According to Cullen, this is a byproduct of Karlaftis's hard work and trust in the coaching staff to put him in good spots to succeed. 

“He’s had a great year; he really works hard," Cullen said. "Sometimes that’s a milestone, sometimes you might not get that, but you might have had a better year. George has really worked hard, and he was relentless, those came at a big time. The flurry of those sacks at the end, Coach Spags made some great calls, put guys in position and he was relentless in getting after the quarterback. As happy as George was, I think Chris (Jones) was probably more happy for him.”

There's more to the leap than just that. According to Pro Football Focus data for the 2023 season, Karlaftis has recorded 64 pressures in 453 pass-rushing opportunities. That's a 15-pressure increase from 2022 despite him having 73 fewer pass-rush reps. Among all edge-rushers to play 20% of maximum snaps this season — 117 players — he ranks 16th in pressures and is tied for 10th in hurries. His win rate is tied for 43rd. 

A bit of historical context can also be applied to what Karlaftis is doing, especially considering he's still 22 until April. At 16.5 career sacks, he's now entered the top 10 all-time for the most sacks before a player's 23rd birthday. Tied with Brian Burns and Aldon Smith, he has an opportunity to soar even higher if he plays on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers and gets a sack.

Don't get it twisted: Karlaftis is still an imperfect player. While he's made incremental improvements in his pass-rushing plan and seems a bit quicker or more flexible this year, there are still clear limitations to his game. Many describe him as a "slow-burner" and more of an effort player, which is accurate. Instead of being a true alpha at defensive end, he's an ideal DE2 and a formidable foundation piece along a defensive line.

That's perfect for the Chiefs' current purposes, though. With Jones leading the way and a good set of depth pieces like Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu in the fold, as well as a good secondary, Kansas City can afford to be the sum of its parts. The franchise has invested back-to-back first-round picks in the defensive end spot, providing an intriguing floor and long-term ceiling. Karlaftis likely provides more of the former than the latter, but his improvements are legitimate nonetheless. If something like this is the new norm for him, the team should be thrilled.