We are 56 days away from the Kansas City Chiefs
‘ season-opening game against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1.The No. 56 is worn by starting defensive end George Karlaftis, who has worn it well enough to be playing on a second contract already in his fifth NFL season. The former first-round pick is signed through 2030.
He’s had a stronger start to his career than the franchise’s all-time No. 56 did, but he’ll have to take his game to another level to match how the linebacker
finished it.
The memorable No. 56s in franchise history
Derrick Johnson (2005 – 2017)
Dino Hackett (1986 – 1991)
Walt Corey (1960 – 1966)
The No. 56 who is likely missed the least by Chiefs fans: Ben Niemann (2018 – 2021)
Not only is Johnson the franchise’s all-time leading tackler (1,146 total in 13 seasons), no other player in Chiefs history has surpassed the 1,000 mark. He worked hard for the honor, overcoming an early-career benching and a handful of coaching changes to ultimately develop into one of his era’s best off-ball linebackers.
He was truly a playmaker at the position before it was as common as we see today, and one particular showcasing of it felt like the turning point of his career. To close the 2009 season, Johnson started just his third game of a dreadful season, the first under head coach Todd Haley.
He wound up with two pick-6s (45 and 60 yards on the returns) and caused two other incompletions in a win over the playoff-hopeful Broncos. Johnson was a full-time starter from that point on, earning Pro Bowl honors four times and one first-team All-Pro accolade in 2011.
In the last game he wore a Chiefs uniform, Johnson infamously strip-sacked Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota for a game-changing turnover — but referee Jeff Triplette waved off the fumble, citing Mariota’s “forward progress.” It stole an all-time career highlight from Johnson, who wound up with the Las Vegas Raiders for one season before retiring after the 2018 campaign.
He was inducted into the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame this offseason.
56: The number of punts by Matt Araiza last season
The total number of punts by the Chiefs last season, all by Araiza, was the 20th-highest mark in the NFL and below league average (60.4).
That’s usually a good sign for an NFL team, but in Kansas City’s case, it highlights issues like red-zone offense and untimely turnovers in place of a punt.
Even when quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a rhythm marching down the field, there were countless examples of stalling out as the offense passed the 20-yard line in critical situations. The Chiefs struggled in condensed space, with less ability to spread out coverage and open passing windows as they neared the goal line.
The run game worked when Kansas City was able to set up within yards of pay dirt, but farther back in the red area, the lack of acceleration from Chiefs rushers made linebackers and safeties comfortable playing patiently and with depth to respect the pass game, with the end zone right behind them.
Overall, the Chiefs’ offense needs to be sharper in situational moments. We don’t want to see more of Araiza, but if Kansas City can establish first-half leads with an effective run game, Araiza’s top-10 rate of punts finishing inside the 20-yard line (45%) indicates he could be an asset in the game of lead management.
