Laddie Morse
So, the Kansas City Chiefs came out on top of the Denver Broncos… in Denver. That’s always good news of course, but many in Chiefs Kingdom has applied a “But” to that sentence. While some of us are displeased with the play of the team at specific positions, the Chiefs overall, are right where they want to be… in control of their own destiny with four games to go and an almost iron clad lock to make the playoffs, as well as securing the number one seed. Yes, there are some definite “ifs” to locking up the #1 AFC seed, but the Chiefs pathway to that seeding is strong, and perhaps the best for any AFC team.
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When it comes to making the decision of who will be this year’s MVP, you have to ask yourself the question: does the MVP award really matter if the Chiefs don’t go to, or win, the Super Bowl? To some, it matters. To others, not. Dov Klieman offers this:
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Although I don’t agree with Kleiman, the race for who is the best in the NFL doesn’t really matter to me. If the Chiefs can win the Super Bowl, that what matters most.
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The Houston Texans are 1-11-1 and the team K.C. will be facing tomorrow. While the Chiefs are 10-3 and a much superior team than Houston, the Texans gave the Cowboys all they could handle last Sunday. So, there’s no need for K.C. to not take them seriously.
The Texans are ranked last in rushing yards allowed and have allowed 2,156 yards rushing this season (165.8 per game). They’re nearly surpassed in ineptness by the team from Seattle, with 2,256 rushing yards allowed (an average of 161.1 per game). Seattle ranks 31st, right in front (front, in back of, behind? Just know they’re bad) of the Texans.
With the Seahawks being the Chiefs next opponent — following the Texans — this is good news for K.C. as the Chiefs running attack has been ramping up in recent weeks, so that’s what you should expect — primarily a run heavy attack — and see a lot of when the Chiefs face off against the Texans tomorrow.
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The Chiefs usually have a boat load of “Transactions” to report on but none have happened this week, so instead, I’m offering a listing of team quotes.
ArrowheadPride has an article called: “Brandon Williams Reveals the Reason he Chose Chiefs Over Everyone Else“ in which Brandon Williams says:
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“I played college a couple hours away from here, and now I have the same number I had in college. It just feels like a coming back thing home — it feels amazing, actually.”
“Family that has been supporting throughout my whole career and in college. Now — being here in Kansas City — they’ve just been ecstatic and excited to be closer to see me play, instead of being all the way on the east coast.”
“It came down to family morals and family values. I live in Arkansas, so it’s only a couple of hours away from here. From going to somewhere else versus here, it’s been strictly a family decision — and it’s close to us.”
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Via ChiefsWire, DC Steve Spagnuolo said of Brandon Williams’ first snaps, which came against the Broncos:
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“I mean Brandon was only here three days or whatever and he did an admirable job. What he still can do as a D-linemen is knock somebody back. He really helped us on the goal line. You know we had the two or three goal-line snaps. I think they took a penalty and went back and then we were out of goal-line defense, but he helped us there. I was really impressed with how he picked it up. A true pro, you know, veteran.”
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We can also anticipate that DE Franks Clark and OB Jr. will be moved on from this coming offseason, especially if GM Brett Veach finds their replacements. Just yesterday here at ArrowheadOne, David Bell pinned a piece called, “Chiefs: The Stuff Which Nonsense is Made Of” in which he says:
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“Frank Clark is “long-in-the-tooth” and too costly. OB Jr. has failed to live up to his billing at LOT. Andrew Wylie is a good depth player, but if Lucas Niang cannot emerge as a starter, pass protection will continue to expose Patrick Mahomes to significant pressure and sacks.”
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I agree with Mr. Bell and hope he has hit the nail right on the head. In any event, the Chiefs need help at DE and they also need a new LT. Yes, OB Jr. has played better lately, but hopefully by year’s end, Brett Veach will take the whole season into account and act accordingly.
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If you haven’t been paying attention, the Chiefs starting Right Tackle was Lucas Niang last season, until he played only 6 snaps in week 17 of the 2021 season before injuring his patellar tendon. He has been on the mend ever since and was activated off of the Reserve/PUP list in late November.
With fill-in RT Andrew Wylie not playing any better than the Chiefs LT, the Chiefs need Niang to come back and shine. Offensive Line Coach Andy Heck said this about Niang this week:
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“It’s good to have Lucas (Niang) back and working. I think he looks great. One of the things that we love about him is his athleticism, especially for such a big man. His feet look tremendous, his pass sets – he’s picked up right where he’s left off, he’s stayed into it mentally and been in all of our meetings, (he’s) a super sharp guy. I like the work that he’s been putting in, (he) looks good.”
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“His feet look tremendous” and “he’s picked up right where he’s left off” are excellent takeaways from Andy Heck’s remarks. We’ve been wanting to know if Lucas Niang can come back and regain his level of play, and it looks like the answer is yes. Now we just need to see it happen in a game. In multiple games. Consistently.
I’m not asking for much, am I? Go Chiefs!
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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