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The Chiefs and the Kansas City community raised more than $900,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City (RMHC-KC) through flag sales during the 30th edition of Red Friday on Friday, Sept. 10. Over the past nine years, Red Friday sales have raised $3.7 million to help RMHC-KC continue its mission of keeping families close in times of sickness and need.
Through a partnership with McDonald’s, the eighth edition of the Red Friday flag was sold in all Kansas City- and St. Joseph-area McDonald’s locations and Kansas City Hy-Vee stores for a minimum donation of $5. For the fifth year in a row, the flags were also sold online and available for shipping around the world. The donation is the second-highest Red Friday contribution since the club began selling flags prior to the start of the 2014 season.
Patrick Mahomes will bail them out of almost any situation, but their defense is cause for concern. Outside of Tyrann Mathieu, who’s making plays here? Few teams have surrendered so many yards through two weeks.
The Chiefs themselves would unquestionably tell you that the loss didn’t come down to one player, but there are reasonable questions to be asked about the player who lost the ball with the game on the line. This was the first fumble of Edwards-Helaire’s career, but holding onto the ball has really been the only way the former LSU star has lived up to expectations after entering the league. It’s too early for the Chiefs to give up on the 2020 first-round pick, but it’s not too early to be worried.
Keep in mind what the popular perception was after the Chiefs drafted Edwards-Helaire. Coming off a season with 1,867 yards from scrimmage at LSU, he was seen as the final puzzle piece for one of the league’s scariest offenses. The running back was the player Patrick Mahomes himself said he wanted with that pick. After Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season and opened up the starting job for Edwards-Helaire, the rookie’s ceiling seemed nearly boundless.
First look: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs odds and lines | Sportsbook Wire
Chargers at Chiefs odds, spread and line
Money line: Chargers +225 (bet $100 to win $225) | Chiefs -290 (bet $290 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Chargers +6.5, -107 (bet $107 to win $100) | Chiefs -6.5, -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
Total (O/U): 56.5, Over -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Under -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
The Steelers have signed former Chief Taco Charlton
The #Steelers have signed DE Taco Charlton to the practice squad.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2021
Around the NFL
Houston Texans to start rookie Davis Mills at QB on Thursday with Tyrod Taylor out | ESPN
“He’s been ready,” Culley said of Mills on Tuesday. “Now that he’s gotten those reps, I think there will be a comfort level in starting the game. I think in the second half when he had to go out and play, I think not having had those reps in practice and all of a sudden now, ‘I’m up,’ probably made a difference. And I think this week going into the game when we start the game and he’s out there, I think there will be a much better comfort level.”
The invitational scouting showcase is mirrored after the annual NFL combine usually held in Indianapolis. The idea is to find international athletes who have the skill sets and potential to play in the league. It will take place Oct. 12 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Invited are athletes from Britain, Germany, Belgium, New Zealand, France, Nigeria, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Finland, Sweden and Hungary.
“Through the event, we hope to discover new talent, create more global exposure of the game and provide an opportunity for participants to compete at the highest level,” said Damani Leech, NFL chief operating officer of international.
The best and worst NFL team at each record | SB Nation
The best 1-1 team in the NFL is the ... Buffalo Bills
Whatever knock the team gets from losing by a touchdown to the Steelers is erased following a 35 point shutout against the Dolphins in Week 2. Don’t forget: A lot of people pencilled in Buffalo as a Super Bowl contender before the season began, then they kind of got forgotten after that first loss.
I have absolute faith that the only team that can destroy a deep playoff run for the Bills is the Bills themselves. The AFC East is soft, they’re surging forward now, and I don’t expert Josh Allen’s slump (he’s been really bad so far this season) will last.
I’m high on the Bills, but I’m also gritting my teeth as I say that.
Coach Mike Tomlin said the quarterback was dealing with a left pectoral injury, but said he didn’t know how it happened. It wasn’t publicly disclosed during postgame interviews with Tomlin or Roethlisberger.
“I don’t know specifically when Ben got injured in game,” Tomlin said. “I don’t know that he does. You know, sometimes just in the midst of competition, adrenaline and so forth, you just don’t know. Sometimes things just come up after.”
Roethlisberger took just two sacks in the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but he was hit 10 times. Tomlin acknowledged it was too much for his 39-year-old quarterback and offered solutions that could keep every week from being a repeat.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Was it right for the Chiefs to run on last offensive play against Ravens?
Answer: No
First of all, the coaching staff should not want to settle for a field goal in this situation — and a handoff may have indicated that this was their intent.
On the previous four running plays the Chiefs had called, the ball carriers lost two yards in total: a gain of one yard, a loss of five yards, a four-yard gain and then a loss of two. Down the stretch, the run blocking had simply not been good enough.
On top of that, the Chiefs’ running game was getting predictable. All four of those rushes had been on first down. The fumble occurred on a second down — but after coming out with Mahomes under center (with three yards to convert), the team clearly communicated a running play was coming.
Ultimately, the coaching staff ran the ball rather than keeping it in the hands of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who can be trusted enough to make a quick pass — or even scramble and slide if there’s nothing there. He’s the best quarterback in football — and when the game is on the line, the ball should always be in his hands.
Even if the staff was insistent on playing it safe, calling an RPO — a run-pass option play — would have allowed Mahomes to decide whether the defense was more vulnerable to a run or a pass.
A tweet to make you think
Notable FA pressures through 2 weeks:
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) September 21, 2021
Melvin Ingram 11
Matthew Judson 10
Romeo Okwara 10
Trey Hendrickson 9
Yannick Ngakoue 9
Shaw Barrett 9
Jadeveon Clowney 8
Leonard Floyd 7
———————
Bud Dupree 3
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