Arrowheadlines: Chiefs at Bills to clash with the NBA Draft

The latest

Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs TNF game will reportedly go head-to-head against 2020 NBA Draft | Syracuse.com

It was expected that both the lottery and draft would get pushed back, but the NBA may end up regretting the date they chose for the draft. October 15 is a Thursday night so the draft will go head-to-head against Thursday Night Football. As far as ratings go, the NFL is the TV ratings king regardless of what game they show.

However, as far as Thursday Night Football games go in 2020, the NBA Draft will be going up against one of the NFL’s best Thursday night games of the 2020 season with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

This Chiefs player will be a first-time Pro Bowler in 2020 | FanSided

With that in mind, the 2020 season will see the NFL right a wrong that’s lingered over these last few seasons. Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has been an All-Pro the last four seasons running — every single one he’s played in KC — but has somehow never made the Pro Bowl. That ends this year, period.

NFL All-Analytics Team: Lamar Jackson, Stephon Gilmore stand out | NFL.com

DB Tyrann Mathieu

Kansas City Chiefs · Seasons: 7

NGS shows that Mathieu played 98 percent of defensive snaps for the Chiefs, including the playoffs (1,205 of 1,230). Always a playmaker in pass defense, Mathieu’s run-stopping ability ranked seventh-best among safeties in 2019, per my computer vision. And the fact that that figure was even better in previous seasons — when he was a Cardinal and Texan — reflects a different strategy in K.C., not an erosion in capability.

NFL 2020 breakout team: These 22 players are ready to make the leap in Year Two | CBS Sports

Safety: Juan Thornhill, Chiefs, Johnathan Abram, Raiders and Taylor Rapp, Rams

Similar to the tight end class, there are some really good safeties who could not be left off this list. I could make a case for Green Bay’s Darnell Savage as well, but he played most of the season. Thornhill suffered a torn ACL in the regular season finale but not before recording three interceptions during his rookie campaign. The ceiling is really high for him.

Chiefs draft pick leads march for ‘justice and equality’ in his hometown | Kansas City Star

“The New Canaan Police were honored to assist Fatou, Nabi, Lucas and Ethan Niang the organizers of this march. In addition to assisting with this event, it was an honor and privilege for members of our department to march alongside the Niang family and so many others in this incredible community event,” the New Canaan Police said, per HamletHub.

Around the AFC West: Tyreek Hill could be even more dangerous in 2020 | The Fan

Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill told reporters last month that he is doing yoga twice a week in an effort to open up his hips and glutes more. Well, Hill is already one of the most dangerous receivers in the league because of his elite-level speed. He basically teleports down the field and can get by defenders in the blink of an eye.

Doing yoga will help him move better. In fact, it could help Hill change direction without losing much speed. This means he could be running more comeback-type routes in 2020 or at least more in-cutting routes where he’ll fool defenders even more.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 5 worst free agent signings of all time, ranked | Clutch Points

1. Lin Elliott

How many teams can say a kicker is their worst free-agent signing ever? Overall, the stats for Elliott aren’t terrible, but the end of his time with the team is the reason for his ranking. During the 1995 playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts, Elliott missed three field goals. The Chiefs lost the game 10-7 and all the weight of the loss went on the shoulders of Elliott.

In his final five games with the team, Elliott missed nine field goals total. There is always the what-if about the 1995 season if Elliott would have made two of those field goals, and the Chiefs would have advanced.

Around the NFL

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says NFL was ‘wrong’ not to listen to its players about racism | NFL.com

“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” he said. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe that black lives matter.”

Austin Ekeler’s Underdog Story Is Complete . . . Almost | SI

“We really want you,” Telesco told him. The GM saw Ekeler as a key piece to the franchise’s rapid rebuild after a 5–11 season, adding another layer of resonance to one of the most improbable stories in recent NFL history. The one about the undersized running back, overlooked by every Division I college program, then ignored even by nearby D-II schools, who wasn’t invited to the combine; who crashed another school’s pro day; who went undrafted when 27 backs—27!—heard their names called. And the one about the kid who never knew his biological father and wished he had never met his stepdad.

Construction worker dies after fall from SoFi Stadium roof | ESPN

SoFi Stadium, the Rams and the Chargers released a joint statement about the accident.

“We are tremendously saddened by the loss of a construction worker at the stadium site today,” the statement read. “Our sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the individual who passed away.

“The safety of our construction team and all of our employees is the foremost priority of our organizations, and we will continue to work with our partners and local authorities to deliver on this commitment.”

It is uncertain when work on the site will resume.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs get two new players in (dreaded) 2017 NFL Re-Draft

Chiefs original pick: No. 10 overall — quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Chiefs new pick: No. 27 overall — cornerback Shaquill Griffin

The Cleveland Browns did not hesitate in taking Mahomes first overall, which would have been any team’s decision at No. 1 if they could re-do the 2017 NFL Draft with the top pick.

In this scenario, the Chiefs kept their No. 27 overall selection to take cornerback Shaquill Griffin. Before drafting L’Jarius Sneed in the fourth round in 2020, the Chiefs went three straight drafts of waiting until the sixth round to select a cornerback (Leon McQuay in 2017, Tremon Smith in 2018 and Rashad Fenton in 2019). Fenton played a key role down the stretch in 2019 as a rookie, but of the three, he was the only one to really contribute at his defensive position.

The Chiefs reverse history’s course by selecting Shaquill Griffin, whom Pro Football Focus called the Seattle Seahawks’ most improved player in 2019. So instead of entering the 2020 championship defense with big questions about who will start opposite Charvarius Ward, the Chiefs would have a sure-fire starter in Griffin. The catch is their quarterback would still be Alex Smith — or someone else.

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