Arrowhead Pride
Addressing the lingering questions fans have about the team entering the AFC Title game.
This Sunday on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Buffalo Bills to battle for the AFC Championship and a ticket to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Coming off the Chiefs’ 23-14 Divisional round victory over the Houston Texans, there are still a few lingering questions about what we may see on Sunday.
We’ll try to round up some answers here:
In his return to the lineup against the Texans on Saturday, Watson did not start, but he did finish second in cornerback snaps with 38 — or 58%. Watson was targeted twice, allowing one reception for eight yards.
All indications from the team coming out of the game have been positive, starting with head coach Andy Reid when he joined the media for a Zoom session on Monday.
“[He] actually came out [of the game] feeling good,“ said Reid. “That’s one of the positives that [we came] out with [about] Jaylen. He was fresh from the injury. You hope that he [won’t] have the swelling that was taking place before — and still function at a relatively high speed during the game. I thought he did that; I thought he sustained when given that opportunity.”
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo echoed Reid’s optimism when he spoke on Thursday.
“The one thing about Jaylen — and we’re glad we got him — but I mean, when you're three months removed, we had him for two weeks, he practiced [and] I told him going into the game, ‘The speed of the game’s going to be [faster],’ so we kind of slowed him in there... so hopefully this week, we get a little bit more out of him.”
It sounds like Kansas City wanted to be careful with Watson in his first outing back, but that playing time should increase against the Bills.
Although running back Isiah Pacheco earned the start, Kareem Hunt logged more snaps and carries against the Texans.
Hunt carried the ball just twice for five yards in the first half. In the second, however, he added six more carries to finish with eight attempts for 44 yards. His effort included a score from just one yard out.
Per Pro Football Focus, Hunt graded out better than Pacheco across the board.
“There’s probably a little bit of [following the hot hand] as you get going,” said offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on Thursday. “I think that’s probably real... the thing that I love about both of those [players] with Pacheco and Kareem is that they are so competitive — both of them — but they both also understand this element of the game is critical.
“So if a guy has a hot hand and has some great carries early on,...
