Bolton Says These 2 Factors Helped Shut Down Wilson

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton spoke after Sunday’s 22-9 victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

To view his comments, watch below.

On the defensive game plan and shutting down Malik Nabers:

“Yeah, we did a good job of stopping the run for the most part, in seven-man fronts. Helped us play two-high a lot. … He's big on getting the ball on the outside in single high, particularly in one-on-one matchups. There's a couple times when you're getting too high in those one-on-one matchups and the ball gets down the field. I think we did a great job of just contesting those plays and making it hard on them. Our D-line did a great job of forcing him (Russell Wilson) out of the pocket."

Bryan Cook, Malik Nabers — Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) breaks up a pass and collides with New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

On keeping the Chiefs in the game in the first half when the offense was struggling:

“Yeah, our mindset today was to keep them out of the end zone. Mindset is they don't get in the end zone, should win the football game. So that's our mindset, and that's kind of how we've been approaching it every single week, not really worried about offense or special teams. Kind of doing our end of the bargain, keeping teams out of the end zone. Also, playing better in the red zone; we did a good job of that this week. And then third down and fourth down, obviously, I think we did better.”

On the fun of seeing Steve Spagnuolo’s gameplan to shut down a quarterback who passed for 450 yards the previous week:

“Yeah, yeah. Obviously, we've had that going throughout the week of trying to affect that. Understand that when he gets going, he's a momentum guy, and he's gonna keep going, keep going, keep throwing the ball deep, keep finding the check-downs, explosives and those things.

“So, I think early in the game, keeping him from having those explosive plays kind of helped us as we kept going. And yeah, so Spags did a great job of mixing up looks today. We all know how gifted he is, when he has some time to prepare. And, actually, we’ve played that opponent quite a bit, played Russ (Wilson). So, having familiarity with him obviously helped us out a lot.”

Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On how the Chiefs handled being 0-2 this week:

“Yeah, obviously we didn't have the start we wanted, but it's a long season. Just kind of just every week, just kind of go back to work, back to Square 1, trying to figure out things that we can get better at. Nothing different this week. We got some success, found a way to win a football game, but there’s obviously some stuff to clean up.”

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