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Chiefs Linebacker Drue Tranquill Stands Out with Remarkable Tackling Statistic
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- Chiefs Linebacker Drue Tranquill Stands Out with Remarkable Tackling Statistic
The Kansas City Chiefs have opened the season with five consecutive victories, and linebacker Drue Tranquill has quietly established himself as one of the defense's most reliable tacklers.
The numbers show just how difficult it has been for opposing ball carriers to escape his grasp.
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Tranquill has missed only one tackle through five games, giving him a missed-tackle rate of just 2.7%, according to Pro Football Focus statistics cited by Arrowhead Pride .
That's an impressive figure for a linebacker who regularly operates in the middle of the action.
And Tranquill's performance is part of a larger trend for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit.
Kansas City has the lowest missed-tackle rate in the NFL, according to PFF data. The Chiefs have recorded just 20 missed tackles through five games, the fourth-fewest in the league.
Tranquill's numbers stand out even among his teammates.
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Fellow linebacker Nick Bolton has a 7.4% missed-tackle rate, while cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed and Mansoor Delane are at 6.5% and 8.7%, respectively.
Safety Jaden Hicks has missed 6.9% of his tackle opportunities, while defensive backs Christian Roland-Wallace, Kristian Fulton and Chamarri Conner have yet to record a missed tackle.
Those numbers illustrate the consistency that has helped Kansas City remain undefeated.
The Chiefs have also limited explosive runs, allowing just 11 rushing plays of at least 10 yards through five games, the fifth-fewest in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats figures cited by Arrowhead Pride.
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That ability to finish tackles has helped offset other areas where the defense has faced challenges.
Kansas City previously went three consecutive games without recording a sack , raising questions about the pass rush despite the team's unbeaten start.
But the defense continued to produce results.
The Chiefs delivered another strong performance in their most recent game, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6.
Kansas City held Los Angeles without a touchdown, while Tranquill recovered a fourth-quarter fumble forced by Sneed.
The victory reinforced the importance of Kansas City's defensive consistency.
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Now Kansas City faces another challenge Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Seattle enters the game at 3-3, with quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba among the players the Chiefs must account for.
The matchup also carries plenty of attention because Kansas City running back Kenneth Walker III is returning to face his former team.
The Chiefs' Sunday night matchup with Seattle will test whether Kansas City can maintain its undefeated start against the defending Super Bowl champions.
For Tranquill, the assignment remains straightforward: Keep getting ball carriers to the ground. So far this season, few players on the Chiefs have done that more consistently.
