Tag: Broncos

Chiefs LB Leo Chenal reacts to blocking game-winning field goal attempt: ‘It’s complete shock’

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal reacts to blocking game-winning field goal attempt: ‘It’s complete shock’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs pulled a rabbit out of the hate with Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos coming down to a blocked field goal attempt as time expired. Linebacker Leo Chenal is the player who got his hands on the ball and explained the moment to reporters after the game.

“It’s complete shock. Not much I can say about it. Glory to Jesus Christ and everything because I was really praying for something to happen.” said Chenal. “That moment is so heavy, there’s a second on the clock, and they’re going to kick the field goal. You feel the weight of the moment.”

Broncos kicker Will Lutz had time to position the spot to his benefit but was still unable to get the ball past Chenal, as he credited the push from his teammates on the line.

“That was definitely a big moment. I want to credit Mike Danna (the one in the Super Bowl) – I’ll get the stat for it; it went through my hand, but he was the one who really stopped the ball. He’s not going to get credit with the stat, but a big credit to him. It’s never that mentality of I’m never going to get there again.” said Chenal. “When you have guys like J. Reid (Justin Reid) rushing like he does, Jack (Cochrane) and the big push by the big guys in the middle, George (Karlaftis) and what he does. Working on get-offs, it’s bound to happen. It’s been a long time coming.”

Danna’s block in Super Bowl LVIII is memorable because of the stage, but Chenal’s block’s unlikelihood of winning the game is remarkable, considering the scenario against a division rival.

“It’s big. It’s a team effort. They have to respect (Justin Reid) J. Reid on the outside; they have to respect our guys rushing on the outside and in the middle.” said Chenal. “It’s not like they can just lean heavy to one guy. It’s a big credit. George (Karlaftis) is doing what he’s doing right beside me all the time; he’s getting pressure right there. Any time I get my hand near it, George is right there. He has a little bit bigger wingspan than me. It’s a big team effort.”

A seismic team moment adds to the many memories made over the years at Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs continue their three-peat journey.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid on the game-winning blocked field goal: ‘I get to see that every day’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on the game-winning blocked field goal: ‘I get to see that every day’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs have found unique ways to win games lately, with Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos ranking high on the unlikely scale.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the media immediately following the game, giving insight into the incredible blocked field goal that sealed the victory.

“I get to see that every day, we work that block and that last final shot there.” said Reid. “We did, but it’s also something that we work on like crazy, so – it normally doesn’t work quite like that, but that one, we had a couple of different guys. George (Karlaftis) was in there, too, I believe. I haven’t had a chance to look at the replay but it looked like we had a couple different guys in there.”

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub has worked with Reid for years and has practiced these scenarios in the past, so it wasn’t foreign to the league’s oldest head coach. Reid praised linebacker Leo Chenal, who got his hands on the kick, and credited his overall work since being drafted by the Chiefs.

“He’s (Leo Chenal) a great athlete, big strong kid, plays a hundred miles an hour, he does it in practice, he does it during games, plays anywhere and everywhere and never says anything,” said Reid. “(He) comes from a family – he’s got like 40 brothers and sisters, so he’s used to sharing, so he doesn’t really care about who gets the credit and doesn’t get the credit, he just goes.”

The victory does have its low moments, as the Chiefs were moments away from a loss, so the long-time head coach promised to work on more things during the week.

Chiefs RB Samaje Perine reflects on being released by the Broncos: ‘It is what it is’

Kansas City #Chiefs running back Samaje Perine reflects on being released by the Denver #Broncos: ‘It is what it is’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for another AFC West battle against the Denver Broncos this Sunday. On Friday, Samaje Perine spoke to reporters about playing last season for Denver and being released during the offseason.

“Um, it wasn’t bad. It was a learning curve, as far as Sean (Payton) runs a unique offense in the sense of a lot of words, so really have to lock in,” said Perine. “But you know, it was fun. It’s a great group of guys over there. I wish nothing but the best for them, at least until we play them. But other than that, nothing but the best.”

After being signed shortly before the start of the season, Perine has played an essential role for the Chiefs. He’s played more as a third-down running back in place of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and was released by Denver more for age reasons than skillset.

“It is what it is. People like young talent,” said Perine. “They like what they like, and that’s what it is.”

During his lone season in Denver, Perine played 17 games, finishing with 53 carries for 238 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and 50 receptions for 455 receiving yards. The veteran running back doesn’t view the Week 10 matchup as motivation as he treats it like any other game.

“Nah, a boost in motivation gets you messed up just because you blow your gasket before you even play,” said Perine. “So you got to keep it cool, calm, collected at all times.”

Perine has two touchdowns this season, including an endzone reception in last week’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones sees similarities in Bo Nix to Pro Bowl AFC rival quarterback: ‘He’s very comparable’

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sees similarities in Bo Nix to Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen: ‘He’s very comparable’ | @EdEastonJr

All-Pro Chris Jones has battled and sacked some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated start has featured many starting quarterbacks, but they will face off with a rookie in the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix for the first time this Sunday.

Jones spoke to the media on Thursday for his weekly press conference, discussing Nix and comparing his abilities to Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen.

“It’s similar to Josh Allen. I don’t think he has, like, the big play moments of Josh Allen, but he’s very comparable in a lot of things he does and the scheme they’re running with him,” said Jones. “whether it’s getting him in the open field, keeping the ball in his hands on certain downs and distance, giving him the ability to play with instinct. So, I think it’s for us to prepare, making sure we’re able to keep him in the pocket and then get after him.”

Nix was selected 12th overall in this year’s NFL Draft, and the Broncos view him as the future franchise quarterback. The Chiefs will get their first look at Nix, who makes his first start at Arrowhead Stadium, coming in with eight passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and four rushing touchdowns this season.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes reveals the status of his ankle at Wednesday’s practice: ‘A little bit sore’

Kansas City #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes reveals the status of his ankle at Wednesday’s practice: ‘A little bit sore’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was momentarily helped off the field after rolling his ankle during the team’s Week 9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He returned but was still dealing with pain after the game. On Wednesday, he shared an update with the media on the progress of his injured ankle.

“It’s doing good,” said Mahomes. “Obviously, when you have a little bit of a roll, it’s a little bit sore. But I’m able to move around and look forward to getting out to practice and seeing how I can push it as the week goes on.”

Mahomes fought through the pain and led a game-winning drive in overtime on Monday night. He shared that he began treatment on the ankle immediately after the game.

“I mean, you can only do so much,” said Mahomes. “It’s pretty late, but getting some stuff in the training room after the game and getting some stuff to take home, you throw it on there, stuff you can do overnight, that you put on there to kind of reduce swelling and stuff like that. But you come in early Monday morning; it was a long day yesterday of watching film, getting treatment, doing some rehab-type stuff, and preparing yourself for a short week and practice today.”

Mahomes will likely play on Sunday against the Denver Broncos in Week 10 to build on his best game of the season.

Previewing Chiefs’ Week 10 game vs. Broncos on Chiefs Wire Podcast

On the latest episode of @TheChiefsWire podcast: @EdEastonJr’s chats w/ Donnie Edwards #DENvsKC

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This week, we’re celebrating Veteran’s Day Weekend ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs matchup with the Denver Broncos.

Senior Writer Ed Easton Jr. spoke to former Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards about establishing the Best Defense Foundation and his reaction to being honored by the NFL with the Salute to Service award in 2019. Edwards earned All-Pro honors twice as a San Diego Charger and discussed how much he loved his time in Kansas City.

We check in with this past week’s press conferences, featuring comments from quarterback Patrick Mahomes on his plans to bring professional basketball to Kansas City. The reigning Super Bowl MVP explains his desire to own a potential WNBA team and inspire more emphasis on women’s professional sports.

In the latest exclusive conversation on the Chiefs Wire Podcast, Edwards opened up about his friendship with Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas and their relationship as teammates in the 1990s. He started his career in Kansas City and came up short in pursuit of a Super Bowl title.

This week’s opponents are the Denver Broncos, a team rising in the AFC West under rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Check out the link below to get your fill of Chiefs talk ahead of Sunday’s kickoff:

 

Panthers sign veteran DL off Dolphins practice squad

The Dolphins have an open spot on their practice squad after Jonathan Harris was signed by the Panthers.

Defensive lineman Jonathan Harris is joining the Carolina Panthers after he was signed off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad Tuesday.

Harris, 28, signed a one-year with the Dolphins in the 2024 offseason after spending most of the last five years with the Denver Broncos. The lineman originally signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but was claimed off waivers by the Broncos during his rookie season.

In 31 career games with Denver, Harris recorded one sack, six tackles for loss, and 80 tackles.

The Dolphins signed several defensive lineman in free agency, but cut Harris at the end of camp and added him on the practice squad.

In September, Miami also added defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr., a former Las Vegas Raiders fourth-round pick, to their practice squad.

None of the five defensive linemen on the Dolphins’ active roster — Calais Campbell, Da’Shawn Hand, Benito Jones, Brandon Pili, and Zach Sieler — have missed a game so far in 2024.

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Saints won’t be changing their plans at quarterback any time soon

The Saints won’t be changing their plans at quarterback. If Derek Carr can’t return this week, Spencer Rattler will start, not Jake Haener:

There isn’t any question about who the New Orleans Saints want starting at quarterback — Derek Carr is who head coach Dennis Allen believes gives them the best chance to win each week. But Carr is still recovering from an oblique muscle injury and not expected back until Week 9’s game with the Carolina Panthers at the soonest, which means it’ll be one of his backups starting again in Week 8’s road trip to face the Los Angeles Chargers.

And Allen isn’t deviating from his path. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler is preparing to start his third consecutive game, not second-year pro Jake Haener.

“No, the plan would be to stay with Spencer. And I think Spencer has done some good things,” Allen began, “I mean obviously there are some rookie mistakes. Got to do a better job of protecting the football, that would probably be the biggest thing we have to do a better job of. But I feel when you go back and watch the tape and he’s got protection, I thought he did a good job of throwing the football and creating some things with his feet. He was accurate when he was outside the pocket. So I’ve seen a lot of good things from him. We’ve got to eliminate some of the negative plays.”

Through two games, Rattler has completed 47 of 75 passes for 415 yards with one touchdown against two interceptions. He’s also been sacked 11 times. Of the 28 quarterbacks with fewer than 100 dropbacks this season, Rattler is the only one with double-digit sacks. He’s also one of six quarterbacks with multiple interceptions on such a small sample size.

But so long as Carr is out dealing with an injury during the week, it’ll be Rattler preparing to start in his place. Allen and the Saints coaching staff want him learning from these mistakes and working to overcome adversity so he can develop into a better pro. Haener is waiting in the wings for his opportunity.

He certainly made the most of it against the Broncos. The Saints pulled Rattler after he suffered a hip pointer injury late in the fourth quarter, but Haener led the offense into its only scoring drive of the night, which ended with a touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson Jr. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 38 yards after taking over at midfield.

For now, that’s all Haener can do. Until Carr is cleared to practice fully and lead the offense himself, all eyes are on Rattler. The rookie needs to keep working and improving and make sure his coaches’ eyes don’t start to wander in the meantime.

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Saints star playmaker still remains in NFL concussion protocol

New Orleans Saints star playmaker Chris Olave still remains in the NFL concussion protocol. This is his third brain injury in three years as a pro:

The New Orleans Saints bought a couple extra days of rest after their Thursday night game with the Denver Broncos, but Chris Olave is still dealing with symptoms from a concussion he suffered earlier against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Olave is still progressing through the NFL’s concussion protocol ahead of this week’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Allen explained that league rules prohibit him from sharing too many details: “He’s in the protocol, he’s progressing in the protocol, we’re going to take those steps as defined by the league, and then we’ll go from there.”

This isn’t the first time Olave has suffered a concussion. As a rookie in 2022, he exited Week 9’s game midway through and wasn’t cleared to play a week later. Then in 2023 he was ruled out in Week 12, but he did play in their game the next week. Even with extra rest after a Thursday night game, he’s not a lock to return this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

These are serious brain injuries, and everyone experiences different rates of recovery. Sometimes a player can clear protocol in a week. Sometimes it takes a month for symptoms to recede. Taysom Hill missed two games and 24 days recovering from a concussion back in 2021.

The team will get back on the practice field on Wednesday. When doctors are confident Olave can compete on the field without endangering his health, he’ll be out there.

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Saints broke a season-long streak against Broncos

Forcing turnovers has been the Saints defense’s saving grace, but they didn’t intercept the quarterback for the first time this year against the Broncos:

A lot of things went wrong for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Spencer Rattler struggled with ball security in the face of pressure. The running game was nonexistent. Defensively, New Orleans couldn’t stop the Denver Broncos from moving up and down the field.

Bo Nix didn’t look accurate throwing the ball outside of short throws. There was a moment where he had two uncovered receivers, and threw it in between the two of them. Despite his struggles, the Saints weren’t able intercept the rookie.

Tyrann Mathieu got close once. He had an interception fall right into his hands, but he dropped it. Other than that, there weren’t many other near-interceptions. For all of the yardage the Saints give up, turnovers have been their saving grace. For the first time this year, the Saints defense didn’t walk away with an interception.

New Orleans did get one turnover on Thursday. Willie Gay forced and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. But by that time, the game was already out of hand. If nothing else, the turnover streak is still alive.