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The latest
Damien Williams at long last establishes himself in Chiefs backfield | ESPN
“I feel great and I’m running like it,” he said. “Being as fresh as I am, you hit the hole a little [differently].”
His three touchdowns against the Texans give him seven in the playoffs in his two seasons with the Chiefs, including two postseason games last year. That’s a Chiefs playoff record. He has two more playoff touchdowns than Travis Kelce, who also scored three times against Houston.
”He looked fresh and healthy,” Reid said of Williams. “We’ll just keep building on that.”
Chiefs’ bad-luck fan to steer clear of Titans game | ESPN
“It was some bad juju the Chiefs had with the Colts in the playoffs in the past, dating all the way back to Jim Harbaugh and Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck,” he said. “I just decided not to risk it, even though we had [quarterback Patrick] Mahomes at the time. I decided to stay home. They balled out and got the job done. So they had one opportunity to get to the Super Bowl and unfortunately came up short. But this year, I think it’s going to be different.”
“I think the details and the way he is able to control the room to get the best out of every single player is a big thing,” Mahomes said, also via Chiefs Wire. “[Bieniemy] holds you to a high standard and he holds you to the standard that you need to be perfect with every single rep you get in practice. I think those details and that standard he holds everybody to elevates everyone’s game.”
The top achievements of the 2019 regular season, as selected by a committee comprised of 101 members of the national media, include: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens, as AFC Offensive Player of the Year; Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints, as NFC Offensive Player of the Year; Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots, as AFC Defensive Player of the Year; Chandler Jones, LB, Arizona Cardinals, as NFC Defensive Player of the Year; John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens as AFC Coach of the Year; and Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers, as NFC Coach of the Year.
The Chiefs were my preseason pick to win the Super Bowl, but I have to say, Mike Vrable’s willingness to cut off his manhood has inspired me ... not to cut off my own, but to pick the Titans.
The pick: Titans 30-27 over Chiefs
Underdog Titans have fans believing in SB possibilities | NFL.com
“I guarantee if we win on Sunday we’ll see a lot more fans here greeting us when we get back from Kansas City,” Byard said.
2020 NFL mock draft: Here’s what could happen if Tua Tagovailoa falls | SB Nation
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
With star freshman Derek Stingley Jr. opposite him, Fulton got picked on at times this season. But the junior held his own and showed off his man coverage skills and ability to read routes. With Bashaud Breeland, Morris Claiborne and Kendall Fuller all free agents, the Chiefs may have a need in the secondary.
Kenneth Murray LB
This pick has been a popular one for us because it’s a good match for both player and team. The Chiefs defense has improved as the season has progressed, but they struggled to find consistency from their linebackers. Murray changes that. He is undersized but he flies all over the field, and has sideline-to-sideline speed, the ability to make plays in the backfield and the athleticism to cover RBs and TEs.
Biggest looming 2020 free-agent decisions for all 32 NFL teams | ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs
Defensive tackle Chris Jones
Jones gives the Chiefs a playmaker on the interior of their defensive line, and there’s no way the team will let him walk without compensation. So barring agreement on a long-term contract, look for the Chiefs to give Jones the franchise tag. The Chiefs traded last year’s franchise player, Dee Ford. While in a perfect world the team would prefer to keep Jones, that scenario may prove too costly. -- Adam Teicher
Around the NFL
The Titans Will Go As Far As Derrick Henry Can Carry Them | The Ringer
The Titans are, as a team, outliers: They’re just the sixth 6-seed to advance to the conference championship round since 1990, when the NFL expanded its postseason format. It’s fitting, then, that they’re led by Henry, who is, in many ways, the outlier of all outliers: For starters, he’s extraordinarily massive compared to most running backs, possessing a body type that might be found more frequently among edge rushers or linebackers. Henry’s had success, though, because he possesses rare speed, acceleration, and agility―not just for a human being of his size, but for, well, anyone.
Chargers TE Antonio Gates announces retirement | NFL.com
“After 16 seasons in the NFL, 16 seasons as a Charger, eight Pro Bowl appearances and many records broken, I find it hard to officially put this statement out and retire from the game of football,” said Gates in a statement.
”I never dreamed that I would play this game of football so long or how fortunate I would be to play it with just one organization. I want to thank the Chargers organization, Dean Spanos and the Spanos family, and the National Football League for the opportunity to live out a dream and play the game I love. And to the fans in San Diego, Los Angeles, across the country and around the world, thank you for your unwavering support all these years. There would be no NFL without you.
Panthers LB Luke Kuechly retiring after eight seasons | NFL.com
“It’s never the right time to step away, but now is the right time for me. It’s a tough decision. I’ve thought about it a lot. I think now is the right chance for me to move on,” Kuechly said. “It makes me sad because I love playing this game, I’ve played it since I was a kid. It’s my favorite thing in the world to do. The memories I have from this place and this organization and playing on the field with these guys, they’ll never go away.
”There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid, it’s to play fast, play physical and play strong. And at this point I don’t know if I am able to do that anymore and that’s the part that’s the most difficult. I still want to play, but I don’t think it’s the right decision.”
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Sunday reminded us that Patrick Mahomes is still the NFL’s best quarterback
In some ways, this game was a representative of the gap between Patrick Mahomes and the league’s other young quarterbacks. In a season where the storylines have been about Lamar Jackson’s MVP campaign and Deshaun Watson carrying his team to the playoffs, Mahomes has been playing excellent — albeit hobbled — football.
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