Chiefs won't underestimate remaining AFC West opponents | KCSN Daily 11.16
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The AFC West division spent massive amounts of money and draft capital to close the gap on the Chiefs this offseason. Heading into Week 11’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City holds a two-game lead in the division. It’s safe to say, things haven’t turned out the way the AFC West had hoped.
With a chance to extend their lead on the division in Week 11, the team isn’t taking the Chargers or any of their future opponents lightly. That’s especially true of those opponents in the AFC West division.
“Well, you’re right at the time where these games are so, so important,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “It’s important for the Chargers, it’s important for us, Denver and the Raiders, likewise. So, that’s the time of year you’re in and you’ve got to make sure that you batten down the hatches man – detail your work and don’t leave anything uncovered there.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was actually surprised by the way that the division has fallen in 2022. Even with his dominant 23-3 record against the AFC West in his career, he has immense respect for the other teams in this division and he won’t take them lightly.
“Yeah, because you understand – we’ve played two of these teams now, we haven’t played Denver yet – but you know that they’re great football teams,” Mahomes said. “In football, man, anybody can beat anybody any day. And so, it hasn’t gone their way in some of these games, these close, hard-fought games, but we understand how good the Chargers are. We’re not looking ahead to being three games up or whatever it is, we’re looking at what can we do to win today so that we can win on Sunday. And so, we understand it’s going to be a great challenge and we’re going to play our best football if we want to win.”
The Chiefs know that they need to be at their best come Sunday night and it’s not going to be easy. They were down several key starters at the receiver position to start the practice week on Wednesday. Even with the prospect of being shorthanded in Week 11, they’re hoping their work ethic and daily preparation will be the difference.
The Breakdown: Patrick Mahomes dissected Jaguars defense in big win
KCSN’s Matt Hamilton and former Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel break down some key moments from the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and talk about how Patrick Mahomes' ability to read the field and defense attributed to the win. To round out the show, the Matts talk about the upcoming matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Wednesday Injury Report:
Chiefs:
DNP: WR Mecole Hardman (Abdomen/Illness), CB Chris Lammons (Concussion), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Concussion), and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Illness).
LP: CB L’Jarius Sneed (Knee) and RB Jerick McKinnon (Shoulder/Hamstring).
FP: RT Andrew Wylie (Elbow) and RB Isiah Pacheco (Quad).
Chargers:
DNP: K Dustin Hopkins (Hamstring), P JK Scott (Illness), and OLB Khalil Mack (NIR-Rest).
LP: WR Deandre Carter (Ribs), TE Gerald Everett (Groin), OT Trey Pipkins (Knee), OLB Chris Rumph II (Knee), WR Keenan Allen (Hamstring), and Mike Williams (Ankle).
FP: None.
Key:
DNP (Did Not Participate), LP (Limited Participant), FP (Full Participant), NIR (Not Injury Related).
Notes:
The Chiefs are not required to list the practice status of OT Lucas Niang until he’s been activated to the 53-man roster.
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel and Brett Kollman have a nuanced conversation around the NFL's MVP race with Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jalen Hurts before talking about the Kansas City Chiefs win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and their next matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Quotable:
“Yeah, we put guys in positions to succeed. And so for me, it’ about executing the offense, finding the open guy and getting the ball out of my hands, letting those guys make plays. And we’ve seen over the year that these guys can make plays in big moments. And so, we’ll give them those chances as well as have some younger guys step up. And then hopefully, we can get some guys back later in the week. And if not, we’ll be ready to go with whoever’s out there.” - Patrick Mahomes on his confidence in Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Justin Watson
“I think that is going to be the biggest factor, stopping Justin Herbert’s passing attack because he can throw the ball anywhere, so being able to limit his passing lanes. I think (Chargers RB) Austin Ekeler is also a great player who can do a lot of things. He’s really good out of the backfield, catching passes and in the run game, so I think limiting those two to as less yards as we can as a defense is going to help us out the most.” - Trent McDuffie on the biggest threat posed by the Chargers
Quick hits:
From Macedonia Baptist Church: Chiefs DE Frank Clark and his foundation handed out 500 Thanksgiving Meal kits to local Kansas City area families on Tuesday.
From the XFL: Several former Chiefs players heard their names called in the 2023 XFL Draft over the past two days. You can find a recap of the draft here.
From Juan Thornhill: Chiefs S Juan Thornhill will be wearing custom cleats in Week 11 honoring the three UVA football players who were slain in a shooting earlier this week.
Important dates ahead:
Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7:20 p.m. CT - Week 11: Chiefs vs. Chargers - SoFi Stadium - Inglewood, CA
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