4 Chiefs besides Patrick Mahomes looking to ruin the Eagles Super Bowl party

Can the Eagles tame the Chiefs’ young defensive end Karlaftis’s hot play?

Another player to watch on the defensive line is George Karlaftis. He was drafted by Kansas City in the 2022 NFL Draft’s first round as the 30th overall selection. He headlines K.C.’s youth movement along a very talented defensive front.

Karlaftis battled his way through his rookie season, and he started hitting his stride in the latter half of the campaign. The rookie defensive end would close the regular season with 33 tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries, and seven passes deflected.

No one would look at those numbers and view them as being eye-popping, but Karlaftis started to get hot around Week 12, going on a three-game sack streak at that time. His success continued versus Cincy as he tallied one of the Chiefs’ five sacks versus Joe Burrow.

The Purdue alum was second in pressures this season among rookie edge rushers with 48. Only Detriot Lions standout Aidan Hutchinson had more (53).

Now, the Eagles’ offensive line hasn’t had a problem stopping edge rushers during the regular season and in the playoffs. That success continued in the NFC Championship Game versus the San Fransico 49ers. Nick Bosa was only able to manage four tackles in the game (and he didn’t register any sacks). Karlaftis is someone to watch as is his partner in crime, Frank Clark.