Chiefs News: Ugly wins are better than pretty losses

The latest

Chris Jones: Ugly wins are better than pretty losses | NBC Sports

“When you look at the playoffs, most games are close, down-to-the-wire type of games, so there’s a lot we can build from this as a team overall,” Jones said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “We’re just going to keep on winning, keep on winning. You can learn a lot from winning. It is better to win than have a pretty loss. We’ll take an ugly win, build from it and continue to get better.”

Chiefs must solve left tackle problem, protect Patrick Mahomes after scare from Raiders | The Athletic

The Chiefs (11-1) became the first team to clinch a spot in the NFL postseason.

“We’re winning games, but we know we have to get better,” Mahomes said. “We want to go out there and do that and prove that. Our goal over these last few games is to prove the team that we believe we really are is playing like that throughout the playoffs.”

For that to happen, the Chiefs will need stability at one of the sport’s most important positions.

The Raiders (2-10), much like the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, attacked the Chiefs’ biggest weakness: left tackle, the lineman most responsible for protecting Mahomes’ blind side. Wanya Morris, the second-year left tackle who has played the past month with a right knee injury, struggled mightily in pass protection against Chaisson and Crosby.

“As an O-lineman, you’re going to have to play through things,” Morris said. “When Pat is getting hit back there, they’re not going to ask, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with Wanya?’ They’re going to ask, ‘OK, what’s the solution to the problem?’”

Kingsley Suamataia’s rookie season is now a redshirt campaign for the Chiefs | Arrowhead Addict

Everyone knew he’d need some time to learn the position, but a redshirt season was not in view for anyone in Chiefs Kingdom.

At this point, the Chiefs are cashing in their chips to have Humphries man the position, who is returning from a torn ACL dating back to last season with the Arizona Cardinals. The free agent has been medically cleared to play once again and the Chiefs made quick work of getting him under contract once it was made public that he was ready to return.

The move to sign Humphries now gives the Chiefs someone to supplant or at least work with Wanya Morris in terms of placement on the depth chart—a veteran who has been around the league for several seasons and is a plus pass blocker who will likely slide in a starter’s role once he’s ready.

5 Bargain NFL Free Agents Contenders Should Target for 2024 Playoff Run | Bleacher Report

Patrick Peterson, CB

Once among the most feared corners in the game, Patrick Peterson is likely the most recognizable name.

Look, he’s no longer that player—the three-time AP All-Pro and perennial Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals. He’s likely not even the 2022 version who assembled a great season for the Minnesota Vikings.

But, man, isn’t he worth a gamble?

Each of the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders have a below-average secondary. Both the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs would benefit from upgrading the unit. Injuries are poking holes into other defensive backfields.

As the league nears the postseason, Peterson should be one of the first cornerbacks called down the stretch.

Chiefs vs. Raiders winners, losers: Problem for Patrick Mahomes? | USA Today

Winners: Chiefs holiday hex

It seems exorcised after they suffered a fairly fluky 20-14 loss to the Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas last year, also Kansas City’s most recent defeat in a one-score game… though that did also fuel the Chiefs’ internal drive on the way to the Super Bowl 58 sprint. Losing Friday hardly would have been disastrous, but just as well to avert another unsightly upset to their hated AFC West rivals in front of the home fans – and one that would have opened the door for the Buffalo Bills to assume the top seed in the projected playoff picture.

Around the NFL

NFL Week 13 takeaways: Division races taking shape in playoff push | USA Today

23. The number of times Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has beaten NFC teams. But after going down to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, he’s now lost to the other conference twice.

24. Both of Jackson’s interconference losses have occurred against opponents featuring RB Saquon Barkley.

25. If Sunday was a referendum on the league’s best running back – All-Pro honors and perhaps Offensive Player of the Year recognition potentially at stake – Barkley might’ve gotten the best of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, outgaining him by 6 yards and (more importantly) scoring a backbreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter of Philly’s 24-19 win.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence suffers concussion after sustaining illegal hit vs. Texans | NFL.com

Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones was also ejected for his role in the ensuing fight, while Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram received a 15-yard flag for unnecessary roughness.

Lawrence left the field on a golf cart and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. Lawrence was 4 of 10 for 41 yards with an interception at the time of his injury.

“It’s a play that has no business in our league,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game, per 1010 XL Radio.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans also told reporters that the play by Al-Shaair is “not what we coach.”

“It’s not representative of who Azeez is,” Ryans added. “He’s a smart player. A really great leader for us. We felt his presence not being there.”

Steelers’ Tomlin calls on George Pickens to ‘grow up’ after flags | ESPN

Third-year Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens drew the ire of his head coach for drawing two costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty flags in Sunday’s 44-38 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“He’s just got to grow up, man,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He got a target on his back because he’s George, he understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”

Pickens, who was also involved in a scuffle with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II during a Hail Mary attempt last week, led the Steelers with 74 yards receiving on three catches with a touchdown, but he drew 15-yard penalties after two of his catches. He also punted the ball into the stands after scoring the 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a celebration that could earn him a fine from the NFL.

Christian McCaffrey potentially out for season with PCL injury | NBC Sports

Following Sunday’s 35-10 loss to the Bills, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters in his postgame press conference that McCaffrey suffered a PCL injury that could be season-ending.

McCaffrey went down in the second quarter, potentially suffering his knee injury during a 19-yard run that at first looked like he might be able to break it for a long touchdown. But a couple of plays later, McCaffrey took a pitch to the right, moved slowly for a few steps, and then slid to give himself up for a 5-yard loss.

McCaffrey was able to go off the field under his own power, immediately making his way to the sideline medical tent. He then walked up to the locker room, according to multiple reporters on the scene.

Saints’ Taysom Hill likely to miss rest of 2024 season with knee injury, per report | CBS Sports

The New Orleans Saints lost a shot to stay in the NFC South race on Sunday, falling to the Los Angeles Rams. They also lost one of their utility man Taysom Hill, one of their top playmakers, to a knee injury that’s likely to sideline the veteran for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season, according to NFL Media.

The 34-year-old Hill was carted off the field in the second half of Sunday’s Week 13 loss, not long after his left knee was struck by a Rams defender’s helmet on a rushing attempt. Hill will undergo an MRI to confirm the full extent of his injury, but all signs point to an extended absence, per NFL Media.

Officially listed at tight end but deployed as an all-purpose weapon, Hill led the Saints with five catches for 37 yards against the Rams, giving him 465 scrimmage yards in eight games this season. He had a career-high 33 receptions for 291 yards in 2023, one year after rushing for a personal-best 575 yards and two years after going 4-1 as an emergency starter at quarterback.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs-Raiders: Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, Trent McDuffie on what to fix

It was the second consecutive game where explosive passes were the lowlight for the Chiefs’ defense. The coverage has struggled in individual matchups, but that can also result from a lack of chemistry in a group that has dealt with lineup changes this season.

That includes this game when cornerback Nazeeh Johnson was replaced by Joshua Williams late in the first half. The best version of the defensive backfield is still a work in progress, which was explained further by Chiefs’ cornerback Trent McDuffie in the locker room afterward.

“I think a big thing happened in that two-minute [drill] at the end of the game, a little miscommunication with up-tempo,” McDuffie explained. “We just have to clean it up. We had a rookie who couldn’t hear but is doing a great job of learning the playbook. It takes time.”

The Chiefs allowed the Raiders to drive past midfield both times the team needed to late in the fourth quarter. Raiders tight end Brock Bowers had a chunk completion on each drive, including a 25-yard catch in individual coverage. It speaks to a need for players to execute.

“I don’t think the communication is that bad; everybody knows what we’re doing; I think the biggest thing for us is just going out there and making the plays,” McDuffie told reporters. “We’re in the right position; we just have to make the plays.”

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