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The Kansas City Chiefs’ addition of Melvin Ingram has widely been regarded as the move that most helped the team turn its defense around.
But what exactly has led to Ingram’s success and impact in Kansas City? If you ask the player, he points to his willingness to buy into what Andy Reid and the Chiefs are selling.
“Just came in and bought in, just bought into what they already had going on,” Ingram told reporters on Wednesday. “That’s the best way you can fit in anywhere. Don’t try to come in and do your own thing. Don’t try to come and be somebody else, just buy into what they’ve got going on and come in and do what they need you to do.”
Before trading for Ingram back in November, Brett Veach had brought him in for a free-agent visit. He ultimately ended up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, after having a taste of the culture in Kansas City, Ingram is intent on staying with the team beyond the postseason.
That said, Ingram is interested in staying in the moment, with his focus squarely on their next playoff opponent.
“I definitely have got a lot of desire (to stay in Kansas City),” Ingram said. “But that’s looking too far ahead in the future. I ain’t never been a person to looks far in the future. I’m just focused on the task we’ve got at hand right now and that’s trying to win another playoff game and taking it step-by-step, day-by-day, game-by-game. I’m focused on what we’ve got going on now, I ain’t really looking into the future.”
Over the past two months, Ingram has faced and defeated each of his former teams. While those victories were sweet, they were only checkpoints on the way to his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.
“I came here to try and win a Super Bowl and that’s what my goals are set on,” Ingram said. “Beating them, that’s not a goal that I had. It was just another team, another win, but I didn’t put too much emphasis on it.”
The next checkpoint: Ingram’s team will play host to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC’s divisional round of the playoffs. Ingram is keyed in on one thing for the game, slowing down talented Bills QB Josh Allen.
“Man, he’s one of the elite quarterbacks in this league, and you’ve got to try to cancel out every phase,” Ingram said of Allen. “You’ve got to play assignment football because when you’ve got a quarterback that can run, that can throw, that can do everything, you’ve just got to play assignment football and not try to do too much.”
Ingram wasn’t around when the Chiefs faced Buffalo back in Week 5’s loss. Just as he was a catalyst for the defensive turnaround, he’ll look to be the catalyst that turns the tides in the favor of Kansas City in the upcoming rematch.
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