Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 10/22

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles' Knee Surgery Went Well from The Mothership

Charles let everyone know via social media that his surgery was a success and that he's now on the road to recovery.

Surgery went well & now the road to recovery begins. Thank you for all the prayers!

Eight Takeaways from Chiefs Media Availability Wednesday from The Mothership

Head coach Andy Reid provided updates on the status of running back Jamaal Charles and cornerback Phillip Gaines.

"Jamaal [Charles], you know, had surgery yesterday with Dr. Andrews," he said. "Reports were good, [Phillip Gaines] also had his surgery last week and all of the reports there were good on his ACL; again, with Dr. Andrews."

Reid shared some thoughts on the recent play of rookie wide receiver Chris Conley.

"He's learning as he goes," he said. "He's had some real good downs, he had a couple drops in the game and that jumps out at you when you play that position. But he got right back on it and made a phenomenal catch. Again, that kind of gets bypassed because of the loss, but he went up and got one and got trampled there a little bit and hung onto it. But he's got to make the other two, it's that simple. He knows it, but again, he's had some good downs and some of the things he's learning, that's what happens with rookies."

Travis Kelce, Ramik Wilson Both Came Out With Injuries, Returned to Lead from The Mothership

A lacerated nose wasn't going to keep Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce off the field for long, nor was linebacker Ramik Wilson "getting rolled up on" by a teammate, as both players briefly exited last Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings with issues but quickly returned to help try and lead the Chiefs to a victory.

While their efforts didn't result in a second win of the season for the Chiefs, it did answer some other questions.

"It showed them that I'm all in," Wilson, the rookie fourth-round pick out of Georgia, said. "I'll do anything I can to help this team win."

Is Travis Kelce the Fastest Tight End in the NFL? from The Mothership

We all know Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is good—that's been proven.

He led the Chiefs in most receiving categories a year ago and is widely considered one of the best up-and-coming playmaking tight ends in the NFL.

But now, science and math people are getting involved to further illustrate what Chiefs fans have already known for a while—Travis Kelce, even at 6 feet 5 inches and 260 pounds, is fast.

Chiefs vs. Steelers: 10 Stats You Need to Know from The Mothership

2. If Landry Jones is the Steelers starting quarterback...

Jones had a passer rating of 149.3 in his NFL debut against Arizona last week, completing 8 of 12 passes for 168 yards with 2 touchdowns, marking the second-highest QB rating in NFL history by a player in their regular-season debut.

It's unclear if Ben Roethlisberger (knee), Michael Vick (hamstring) or Jones will get the start.

Why 15 Dentists Shut Down Shop and Opened Up at Arrowhead from The Mothership

It has been 10 years now, but Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt refuses to forget his initial inspiration.

"In 2005, in Baltimore, there was a kid in an inner city that had a toothache, was complaining about it and ended up having a bacterial infection," Colquitt explained. "He went down into cardiac arrest and passed away."

A Kansas City dentist by the name of Dr. Bill Busch knew Colquitt's wife, Christia, who at the time was entertaining the idea of attending dental school.

Knowing the power of his potential reach as a member of the Chiefs, Busch called Colquitt.

"There's a kid who ended up passing away," Busch told Colquitt. "He had a toothache. We can't let this happen again. Are you in?"

Chiefs' Jamaal Charles and Phillip Gaines undergo surgery from The Kansas City Star

Four Chiefs starters missed practice Wednesday due to injuries: receiver Jeremy Maclin (concussion), defensive end Mike DeVito (concussion), outside linebacker Tamba Hali (knee swelling) and inside linebacker Ramik Wilson (knee/ankle).

"All those guys are making progress in the right direction," Reid said.

Nose tackle Dontari Poe (ankle) and inside linebacker Josh Mauga (groin/Achilles), missed Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings but both practiced Wednesday. Mauga was a full participant, while Poe was limited.

Week 7: Wednesday injury report from Chiefs Digest

The Steelers also list 11 players on the initial report.

Of note for Pittsburgh, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee) practiced in a limited fashion, while quarterback Mike Vick (hamstring) did not practice.

Landry Jones would get the start Sunday if Roethlisberger and Vick can't play.

Chiefs can't blame injuries for their predicament from ESPN

Jamaal Charles has been such a force for the Kansas City Chiefs and their offense that there's no way to overstate how big his extended absence is and will continue to be.

There's also no question the Chiefs would be a better team if starting cornerback Phillip Gaines was still in their lineup rather than, like Charles, out with a torn ACL.

But, overall, the Chiefs don't have things so bad with regard to injuries.

ESPN ranked the NFL teams with regard to how hard they've been hit by injuries this season. The Chiefs are tied for 16th, or about in the middle of the league.

Chiefs likely face a third-string Steelers QB who beat Arizona in relief from FS Kansas City

With Jones in as Vick nursed a strained right hamstring, and with the return of Martavis Bryant, the Steelers showed glimpses of where they started the season. Coach Mike Tomlin said his team will continue on that track against the Chiefs, who rank 22nd in the league with 372.8 total yards allowed per game.

"I think it's prudent and appropriate right now to operate under the assumption that Landry is our quarterback this week," Tomlin said. "He is the guy that's healthy."

Chiefs' Andy Reid says running style a factor in replacing Jamaal Charles from The Kansas City Star

So when asked Wednesday why Davis didn't receive a similar workload to last year with Charles out of the mix, Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged that while Davis did have three productive games with Charles out a year ago, West is a better fit for what the offense is currently doing.

"The things that we've been doing, we feel pretty good with what Charcandrick (West) is doing and Knile working in on some other things," Reid said. "So we're not down on Knile by any means. That's not where we're at with it. Just with some of the things we're doing right now, Charcandrick kind of fits that."

Notebook: WR Fred Williams hopes to stick for good from Chiefs Digest

"I'm back, man," Williams said with a wide grin.

Williams re-signed with the Chiefs practice squad Monday after being waived on Oct. 1 in favor of wide receiver Kenny Cook, whose contract was terminated to make room for Williams' return.

"It's a business," Williams said. "Only thing I can do is control what I can control. They told me to just continue to work hard and I could possibly be back. Now I'm back and I don't plan on going nowhere."

Chiefs prepared for invasion of Steelers fans on Sunday from ESPN

In this case, Reid needs to be careful what he wishes for. Arrowhead could be more hospitable to the road team on Sunday than the Chiefs.

Steelers fans traditionally travel en masse to road games. Pittsburgh fans had a particularly large presence at the Steelers' last road game, a Monday Night Football game on Oct. 12 at San Diego.

Chiefs' Marcus Peters bounces back with big effort against Vikings from The Kansas City Star

Marcus Peters sensed his team needed a play Sunday.

Peters, a Chiefs rookie cornerback, noticed that Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was looking his way. Peters also realized he was defending a tight end on a vertical route while another receiver broke toward him on a crossing route. So he decided to take a gamble.

What happened next was a big reason the Chiefs selected Peters, a 6-foot, 197-pounder, with the 18th overall pick in the NFL Draft. He abandoned his man, broke hard on the ball and beat Bridgewater's intended receiver, Mike Wallace, to the spot.

Interception.

Andy Reid takes blame for Chiefs' 1-5 start from The Associated Press via FOX Sports

When Andy Reid stepped in front of the microphones after a heartbreaking loss to the Bears a couple of weeks ago, the Chiefs coach directed all the blame for it directly at himself.

He didn't have his players prepared.

He didn't call smart plays.

He didn't do his job.

In some ways, Reid was simply acknowledging his own failures at an early junction of what is quickly becoming a lost season.

Former Springhill running back gets shot as NFL starter from The Shreveport Times

"Patience" is one lesson West, less than two years removed from Abilene Christian University, has deemed valuable in the NFL. The other is preparation.

"You have to be prepared for everything -- a moment like this," said West, who originally committed to Louisiana Tech as a cornerback. "We have to step up - big shoes to fill."

The Chiefs' backfield now consists of the 5-foot-10, 205-pound West, Knile Davis (5-10, 227) and former LSU star Spencer Ware (5-10, 229), who was elevated from the practice squad after Charles' injury. According to West, there is a competitive, yet good-natured battle to produce in the Chiefs' backfield.

Keyes finds new home with KC Chiefs from The Register-Star

After spending the preseason and part of the regular season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the former Chatham High School superstar signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on Tuesday, according to Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star.

Keyes signed with Tampa Bay immediately following the 2015 NFL Draft in May and spent the preseason with the Bucs. The former Panther impressed in all four of Tampa Bay's preseason games, highlighted by a six-tackle performance against the Miami Dolphins in the  finale

Fantasy football start/sit for Week 7: start Carson Palmer and Antonio Gates, sit Jordan Matthews from The Washington Post

With Jamaal Charles out for the season, Charcandrick West appears to be an intriguing option at running back.

He isn't.

West got the lion's share of Kansas City's rushing snaps on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, which equaled nine plays for 33 yards and a lost fumble. He did get more total snaps than Knile Davis (five carries for 13 yards), but that lack of production is concerning.

Week 7 Coaches on the hot seat from Yahoo! Sports

The high point of the Kansas City Chiefs' season may have come and gone before halftime of their season opener.

With five minutes left in the second quarter of that game, in Houston, the Chiefs were up 27-6 on the Texans. The Texans shut the Chiefs out the rest of the game, but Kansas City did hold on for the win.

They haven't won in the five games since.

Statistics can always be deceiving, and in the case of the Kansas City offense, that's true: after six weeks, the Chiefs have the 20th-ranked offense in the NFL (20th in rush yards, 19th in pass yards), but to watch them against the Vikings last week, you wonder how that's possible.

Golden days ahead for Steelers' safety from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Chiefs lean on their tight ends, Travis Kelce and James O'Shaughnessy. Kelce is second in receptions with 29 and leads with two touchdowns. Receiver Jeremy Maclin has a team-high 39 catches.

"I feel like I can match up with any tight end when I'm covering them one on one," Golden said. "If you look around the NFL, tight ends are becoming more of a threat because of the matchup situations.

"I learned a lot about myself in that first start," he added. "I'm just looking to get better, but I'm balanced at defending both the run and the pass."

NFL teams may cut ties to fantasy sites amid inquiries from The Boston Globe

Beyond the tens of millions of dollars each has spent on television advertising, DraftKings and FanDuel have used agreements with individual clubs to embed themselves in game action.

On touchdown runs and in postgame interviews, company logos are often visible in the background, plastered on stadium walls. At Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and in the home arenas of the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, fans eat and drink — and track fantasy stats on big-screen TVs — in DraftKings-branded sports bars.

Besides Florida, other states taking a hard look at the fantasy industry include Illinois (home of the Chicago Bears), Michigan (Detroit Lions) and Georgia (Atlanta Falcons).

Thursday NFL preview: Is Big Ben ready to play? from ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs: Veteran linebacker Tamba Hali might be playing a lot on Sundays this season without practicing much if at all during the week. Hali was withheld from practice on Wednesday because of a sore knee. He missed the final two days of practice last week but played against the Vikings. "Tamba's not getting any younger,'' coach Andy Reid said. "We understand that. When he can [practice], he'll [practice]." -- Adam Teicher

This Chicago Tailor is Dressing Some of the Hottest Stars in Sports from WGN Radio

At ESQ Clothing in the West Loop, owner Ge Wang's roster of clients reads like a fantasy football dream team. The shop counts Chicago Bears star running back Matt Forte, Bears tight end Martellus Bennett and Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles as clients.

Athlete-turned-entrepreneur takes on reality TV from The Kearney Courier

Outside of Hollywood, Saunders and Rock 360 have already experienced success.

The ab roller is used by 20 major universities, the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. It's also sold online at Target.com and Amazon.com.

In one 90-day period this year, FEWDM sold 2,500 units, Saunders said.

Houska: Kansas City Chiefs Do Not Get a Pass from Indian Country Today Media Network

Walking past frat row and the first tailgaters, I immediately spotted a headdress and heavy face paint among the fans. This was the behavior we were here for - despite protestations of the Chiefs not having a Native American mascot, the team is notable for its ‘tomahawk chop', a ‘Native' chant, headdressed fans, and use of a giant drum.

When we reached TCF Stadium, we walked through the Tribal Plaza, a dedication to each of Minnesota's eleven tribes, courtesy of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Two Chiefs fans began doing the tomahawk chop and chanting at us, as some Vikings fans laughed and others shook their heads.