Andy Reid roundup: Five takeaways from the Chiefs head coach

1. Andy Reid said that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is “moving around better,” but he wasn’t ready to make a determination on next week quite yet.

Our expectation is that Patrick Mahomes will return this week to start against the Tennessee Titans, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wasn’t ready to make that call, though he did say he noticed that Mahomes is progressing.

“It looks like he’s moving around better — that’s all I can tell you,” said Reid. “I don’t know all the medical terms for it. I just thought he looked better this week than he did last week. Is he ready? I can’t tell you that. I’m not sure we’ll know that until we get there. Who knows? We’ll see how it all goes here. I let the doctors handle all that stuff.”

Mahomes has been limited for the last six Chiefs practices but participated in pregame warmups prior to the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“So I didn’t go out for the pre-practice stuff,” said Reid. “I didn’t watch him do all that. But I can tell you — during the week — I watch him. He just looks better than he had the week before. He wasn’t quite there. I don’t know that injury (kneecap dislocation) well enough to stand here and predict something. I can’t do that. It’s not the most common injury in this league.”

Mahomes coming away with a “full participant” status this Wednesday will be a positive sign, though Reid explained that even if he can’t practice fully, that won’t necessarily rule him out for Sunday’s game.

“He knows our stuff, so I’m comfortable with that,” said Reid. “That’s how I felt going in last week. If something were to happen where he could go, he would know the stuff and it’s not a problem there. And he knows our receivers. He spent so much time with those guys, so I’m not that worried about it. I don’t know a time for you, but we’ll just see. I’m going to play it by ear and kind of go off of that.”

2. Reid further commented on Tyreek Hill’s 140-yard, one-touchdown performance vs. the Vikings.

“He loves to play the game,” said Reid. “I think the thing that amazes me the most is he’s fast and quick, but it’s his endurance at being fast and quick. Normally, you don’t see that. I tell him, he’s got this cheetah nickname, but he’s really not a cheetah because they burst and then they go rest for about eight hours. That’s not this guy. He can keep going — I mean over and over again, so it’s very amazing.”

Pressed by old friend BJ Kissel of Chiefs dot com if Reid had another animal suggestion, Reid said he just expects Hill to be himself. The Chiefs wide receiver’s presence was one of the top reasons the team was able to pull out the win on Sunday.

“He’s got a unique combination,” said Reid of Hill. “Then he’s smart on top of all that. He can handle all the stuff we do with him and all the positions we put him in. He’s able to handle that.”

3. Expect the Chiefs’ running back-by-committee to continue.

Running back Damien Williams compiled a season-high for snaps against the Vikings, and he led the team with 12 carries for 125 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown. The Chiefs rode the hot hand, a trend that should be expected to continue moving forward.

“We’re lucky that we have some guys,” said Reid. “They all played, and we’ll keep that up. We’re going to need all of them. That’s a tough position. I thought [Damien Williams] did a good job in there, and so we kept giving it to him. That’s how it rolls. You saw on his long touchdown, the first guy out there was LeSean (McCoy) congratulating him, so they all get along and pretty unselfish that way.”

Reid was asked if having so many capable running backs in house is a means of breeding success.

“I’ll always say that I believe competition brings out the best in you. On one hand, I don’t know where that comes into effect, but I know they’re close, but I also know they’re competitive. So however that works out. You can read into it from there, but we’re always trying to bring in competition at all spots.

“It makes us better as a football team, and then we really don’t care who plays — we don’t care if everybody plays in a game. We encourage that. Be ready and we’ll use you anywhere.”

4. Reid views Chris Jones as a power rusher when he’s on the outside.

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According to Pro Football Focus, defensive lineman Chris Jones swung outside on 32 of his 45 snaps against the Vikings. Defensive ends Frank Clark and Alex Okafor were ruled out for the game due to injury.

“We did a little bit of that last year with [Jones],” said Reid. “Just a tad. We did more of it [Sunday], just increased that role. But I think that’s something you could do. He gives you that flexibility. He’s a big kid and can handle the load outside with a tight end and a tackle put on you. He still has enough athletic ability where he can do that.”

Jones had the Chiefs’ only sack of the day on Sunday lined up inside when he pushed an opposing offensive lineman into Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

“He does good inside, too,” added Reid. “He’s not a speed rusher — that’s not what we’re talking about here, but he sure has a lot of power.”

5. Late miscommunications may actually be a good sign for the defense.

The Vikings were able to take two leads in the second half thanks to defensive miscues made by the Chiefs. On Monday, Reid explained how there is a bright side to that: the mistakes are correctable.

“That’s the communication part, playing together, knowing with kind of a funky-looking offensive formation or motion that you’ve got to be able to — sometimes, it’s just sight adjustment on those,” he said. “You don’t have enough time to communicate everything verbally. And so, it might be a point, and so whatever it is, but it has to get done quickly. In those situations, playing together, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.”