Arrowheadlines: 14 wins is a real possibility for Chiefs

The latest

Three bold predictions for Chiefs in 2020: Patrick Mahomes reclaims MVP title as K.C. dominates | CBS Sports

3. The Chiefs will win a franchise-record 14 games

Getting back to the Super Bowl is always easier said than done, and the same can be said for replicating, let alone besting, great regular-season records. But Andy Reid isn’t your average head coach. High up on the NFL’s all-time list of coaching victories, he’s strung together double-digit wins like few ever have, including in Kansas City, where the Chiefs have gone a whopping 57-23 over the last five seasons, logging at least 11 victories in four of those five years.

If Reid can come off a tough AFC Championship loss in 2018 and lead the Chiefs to a second straight 12-4 finish and title run, he can definitely find a way to improve upon 2019’s regular-season finish. With a schedule that ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of expected difficulty, not to mention an underrated defense, a plethora of speedy play-makers and a star QB unlike anything anyone’s seen in decades, it shouldn’t be crazy if the Chiefs do what the Baltimore Ravens did in 2019 and nearly sweep the slate.

Inaugural Red Friday Run Presented By GEHA Scheduled for September 9; Registration Now Open | The Mothership

Once participants complete the 5K, they’re asked to take a photo in their Chiefs/Red Friday 5K gear with their Red Friday flag and post on social media using #RedFriday between Wednesday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 13.

“We are very excited to roll out this year’s 5K as part of our annual Red Friday celebration,” Chiefs Director of Events Jeremy Slavens said. “Shifting to a virtual race provides Chiefs fans from near and far the opportunity to connect with the team in a new and unique way as we kick off the 2020 NFL season here in Kansas City.”

For this Chiefs great, it’s back to the football field. The high school football field | Kansas City Star

As new head coach Kelly Donohoe scanned the field and looked toward the sideline, he noticed one of his volunteer assistant coaches working with a struggling player — and couldn’t believe his eyes.

There, alongside the player, on the field doing the same drills, was 1965 Heisman Trophy winner and former Kansas City Chiefs star Mike Garrett.

“He’s like 76 years old!” exclaimed Donohoe, the former longtime Blue Springs coach who this year made the jump to succeed retired Rockhurst coach Tony Severino with the Hawklets. “I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

“I told our guys on several occasions, ‘Look, Coach Garrett’s over there doing this, you guys can do this.’ ... Our kids obviously have tremendous respect for him.”

The biggest boom or bust players for every NFL team in 2020 | YardBarker

Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB

The Chiefs spent their first-round pick on Edwards-Helaire, and he will be thrown into the fire immediately after Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season. Edwards-Helaire seems like a perfect fit for the Chiefs offense, showing gifted talent as a receiver and the ability to run between the tackles. However, the team has several fallback options if Edwards-Helaire isn’t ready.

NFL Futures: AFC West Exact Order of Finish (2020) | Betting Pros

We Know Where the Chiefs Will Finish

Every single AFC West exact order of finish wager should have the Kansas City Chiefs in first. Barring an early-season freak injury to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs should cruise to another division title. That said, there was some buzz when running back Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns associated with the coronavirus. Williams led the team in rushing last year with 498 yards and a team-best five rushing touchdowns.

Around the NFL

Phillip Lindsay still sees big-play potential after Broncos add Melvin Gordon | ESPN

“I don’t need another man to fuel my fire,’’ Lindsay said. “I know what I want for my family and that’s what fuels me. For me, honestly, nothing changes. I go out there and I produce when my number is called. I make big plays like I always have, and I go from there.’’

Big Ten, Pac-12 postpone 2020 football season over COVID-19 concerns; both conferences looking to spring | NFL.com

The Big Ten Conference announced that it will postpone the 2020-21 fall sports season — which, of course, is headlined by football — and evaluate options going forward, including the potential to compete in the spring. A short time later, the Pac-12 Conference declared it will take a similar course of action, postponing all sporting competition through the end of the calendar year — with the plan to revisit a potential path forward for impacted sports after January 1, 2021. The impact on the 2021 NFL draft, which is currently scheduled to take place in Cleveland from April 29 through May 1, could be profound.

Chargers’ Anthony Lynn reveals on ‘Hard Knocks’ that he had that coronavirus | ESPN

During a Zoom meeting with Chargers players, Lynn fielded questions regarding COVID-19 safety protocols before saying to his players, “I can’t promise you that you aren’t going to get infected ... I got infected.”

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa was shown immediately after Lynn’s reveal giving a wide-eyed look.

Lynn, 51, had not previously disclosed a positive COVID-19 test. He is scheduled to talk with reporters on Friday.

Top 25 NFL free agents in 2021: Prospective class teeming with talent | NFL.com

19 Hunter Henry

Los Angeles Chargers · TE · Age in 2021: 26

Franchise-tagged in 2020, Henry gets a boost because of position scarcity. Every team wants a pass-catching tight end like Henry, but there aren’t enough to go around.

Lamar Jackson: Quarterback, Redefined | SI

“The stigma of being ‘dual threat’—and I say that with the air quotations—used to mean being a runner but now it really means dual threat, doing both,” Harris says. “But I’ll be the first to say this: It’ll take consistency. If he comes back next year, he does similar or better, then people will start to realize, this is the way the position can be played.”

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

2020 Chiefs positional preview: tight ends

New kid on the block

Early in his career, Ricky Seals-Jones had some success as a second tight end with the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, but he hasn’t yet become a good second tight end. He was a wide receiver in college, so some of those skills have carried over to the pros; his feel for spacing against zone coverage — and an ability to track the ball vertically — routinely show up. And at times, he flashes more fluidity in his hips than most tight ends.

But traditionally, the Chiefs’ second tight end has been a high-quality in-line blocker; receiving ability has been a secondary trait. Unfortunately, Seals-Jones’ biggest issue is that his blocking skills continue to mirror those of a wideout. He’s rarely been asked to block in-line — but when he has been, it has usually been on running plays where he needed to immediately climb to the second level to block linebackers — rather than trying to handle defensive linemen. Even Seals-Jones’ blocking in space mimics that of an average wide receiver — and that’s a skill in which Kelce already excels.

Seals-Jones is a good athlete — but he’s not elite. His athleticism doesn’t always make up for his lack of size — or his lack of technical ability as a tight end. That limits his usage.

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