Chiefs focused on controlling what they can in Week 18 | KCSN Daily 1.5
Plus final injury report, KCSN podcasts, transactions, quotes and more Chiefs news
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Plenty of uncertainty remains as the NFL discusses potential solutions for AFC Playoff seeding with the league unlikely to resume the postponed Bills-Bengals game from Monday night. With that cloud of uncertainty heading into Week 18, the Chiefs are focused on controlling what they can control. In this case, that means honing in on preparations ahead of their matchup with their most bitter division rival — the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I don’t know what’s going on there, but I know we need to take care of our business,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said on Thursday. “That’s all I can help control, right? I don’t know about anything else.”
Whatever decision the league makes regarding playoff seeding won’t matter if the Chiefs don’t first take care of business and defeat the Raiders. So long as they do that, all of the other details will work themselves out. Reid reiterated that message to his players during the course of the week by emphasizing the team’s game plan and preparation.
“The thing we talked about the most is the game plan, the process, going through that (and) staying in tune with that at this time,” Reid said. “That’s what we can control. I’ve never been concerned with all that other stuff, it’s about what you can control right now and then it’s taking care of business. Do your best that you can do.”
It’s never an easy game when you’re playing against a division rival. The Chiefs know they’ll have to put their best foot forward this week in the face of adversity in order to come out of Las Vegas with the desired results.
Outside The Trenches - How worried should Chiefs fans be about Raiders matchup?
KCSN’s BJ Kissel, Nick Leckey, and Tucker Franklin talk about the top headlines leading up to the Kansas City Chiefs matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders to round out the regular season and discuss how worried Chiefs fans should be heading into the game.
Final Injury Report:
Chiefs:
DNP: WR Skyy Moore (Hand).
LP: WR Mecole Hardman (Pelvis), LG Joe Thuney (Ankle), CB L’Jarius Sneed (Hip) and K Harrison Butker (Back).
FP: LB Nick Bolton (Ribs).
Designations: WR Skyy Moore (Out), WR Mecole Hardman (Questionable), LG Joe Thuney (Questionable), CB L’Jarius Sneed (Questionable), and K Harrison Butker (Questionable).
Raiders
DNP: RB Josh Jacobs (Hip/Oblique/NIR-personal) and LB Darien Butler (Concussion).
LP: None.
FP: CB Tyler Hall (Foot), WR Davante Adams (Illness), P AJ Cole (Illness), QB Jarrett Stidham (Right elbow), RB Zamir White (Ankle), and LB Curtis Bolton (Shin).
Designations: RB Josh Jacobs (Questionable) and LB Darien Butler (Out).
Key:
DNP (Did Not Participate), LP (Limited Participant), FP (Full Participant), NIR (Not Injury Related).
The Breakdown - How Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes cemented NFL MVP with performance vs. Broncos:
Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel and FanDuel TV's Matt Hamilton talk about the situation involving Damar Hamlin before diving into the film and breaking down Patrick Mahomes' performance vs. the Denver Broncos. Later, the guys look ahead to the Chiefs matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.
Three former Chiefs selected as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023:
Three former Chiefs players are among the 15 modern-era players selected as finalists for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. The selection committee will convene again ahead of Super Bowl LVII and select up to five of the 15 players for enshrinement. They’ll need at least 80% of the vote from the committee in order to be selected.
(Photo via NFL)
Remember, vote for Kansas City Chiefs 2022 NFL Fan of the Year Nominee Dr. Amy Patel. You can vote multiple times until polls close on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Click the image above to listen to KCSN’s BJ Kissel exclusive interview with Dr. Patel.
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s Tucker Franklin sits down with Matt Lane of the KC Laboratory to give the latest news and headlines around the league and discuss how Mecole Hardman changes the Kansas City Chiefs offense heading into the playoffs. Later, Tucker and Matt dive into the Chiefs matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.
Quotable:
“I’ve never eaten as much barbeque (laughter). And I’m coming out of the 10 years still loving every bite I’ve taken. Listen, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. The Hunts are a phenomenal family to work for, and I mean you guys (media) are included in all that. That part’s been a pleasure. You don’t get a chance to really relax and enjoy that, you’re moving forward and that’s kind of where we’re at on this week.” - Andy Reid on his 10 years in Kansas City
“I thought our guys were ready a few days ago, actually. Obviously, we’ve all handled this a certain way and just like when we talked as a staff, we wanted to be sensitive to the nature because everybody’s going to handle it a different way. The thing I think our staff, our head coach (Head Coach Andy Reid) does and this organization, we have the resources here available (and) we have a coalition here on staff and we open it up for discussion. Our guys understand exactly what took place and indirectly (how) we all are impacted and affected by that but the thing that we do know as well is that we have to make sure that we stay the course. We’re going to be sensitive to the issue but also making sure that we’re giving all the support that we can and getting on our knees and praying for a safe recovery for him and his family. When it’s all said and done, we can only control the things that we can control so we’re just making sure our guys are living in this moment right now and the rest will take care of itself.” - Eric Bieniemy on the team’s readiness amidst the Damar Hamlin situation
Quick hits:
From the personnel notice: With Harrison Butker dealing with a back injury, the Chiefs hosted K Matthew Wright on a tryout. Wright started two games for the Chiefs this season and four games for the Steelers. You can read more about the tryout here.
From KCSN: If you’re looking to add some Charlie Hustle swag from the Arrowhead collection, you can use code KCSN15 to shave 15% off your purchase.
From Dr. Timothy Pritts of UC Health: The update that everyone has been waiting for on Bills S Damar Hamlin is finally here. While he is still intubated and has a long road ahead, he has made significant progress and this thread from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is tremendous.
Important dates ahead:
Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3:30 p.m. CT - Week 17: Chiefs vs. Raiders - Allegiant Stadium - Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday, Jan. 9 - Teams may begin signing free agents for the 2023 season.
Monday, Jan. 9 - Earliest permissible date for teams to renegotiate or extend the rookie contract of a drafted rookie who was selected in any round of the 2020 NFL draft or any undrafted rookie who signed in 2021.
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