Tag: Jerick McKinnon

Chiefs to re-sign former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The #Chiefs are set to re-sign former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

On the same day the Kansas City Chiefs were revealed to be hosting former Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins for a visit, a report comes that they are retaining their own running back from that draft class. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has agreed to a one-year contract to remain in Kansas City.

Edwards-Helaire was a reliable option for the Chiefs last year after injuries to Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon held them out of the lineup for multiple games. In 2023 Edwards-Helaire started three of the 15 games he played, shifting between being a third-down back and starter while tallying 223 yards rushing and 188 yards receiving. He had one touchdown as a runner and another as a receiver.

The versatile running back rebounded tremendously after losing his starting job in 2022, becoming one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite targets.

After the Chiefs declined his fifth-year option last offseason, many critics assumed his days would be numbered in Kansas City. The value he showed last season made him an essential piece for the team moving forward as they seek a threepeat in 2024.

5 moves that helped the Chiefs get to Super Bowl LVIII

Check out these five cruciall moves that helped the #Chiefs get to Super Bowl LVIII.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to play in their third Super Bowl in four years on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While the defending champions are certainly no strangers to the big game, their path to the Super Bowl was exceedingly difficult in 2023. Kansas City struggled throughout the regular seasons, looking like a shell of their former selves against opponents like the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8 and Week 16 respectively.

Despite the adversity, the Chiefs tightened up when it mattered most in the playoffs. Victories over the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens on the road dispelled any doubt that Kansas City could hack it in the Super Bowl and earned the Chiefs a chance to defend their Super Bowl LVII title.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

A few key moves in the offseason helped Kansas City field a roster worthy of championship contention.

Check out which transactions made the difference for the Chiefs:

Chiefs designate RB Jerick McKinnon to return from injured reserve

Chiefs designate RB Jerick McKinnon to return from injured reserve

The Kansas City Chiefs should have a key playmaker return to practice in Las Vegas as the team has opened the 21-day practice window for veteran running back Jerick McKinnon. The Chiefs’ regular third down running back has been out of action since injuring his groin during the team’s Week 15 victory over the New England Patriots on December 17th.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news on Saturday afternoon via social media. “A potential addition for the Super Bowl: Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon has been designated to return off Injured Reserve.” posted Rapoport on ‘X..’ “His practice window is open.”

McKinnon was placed on Kansas City’s injured reserve list on Christmas Eve, less than 24 hours before their Week 16 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has stepped in admirably since as the team’s weekly third-down running back.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

McKinnon ended his 2023 regular season with 21 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, with most of his production in the passing game consisting of 25 receptions for 192 yards and four touchdowns. He played in 12 games during the year due to the nagging injury. As his return to practice is positive news, it’s unclear whether or not one of Patrick Mahomes’ best red zone targets will be available for Super Bowl LVIII.

Chiefs place RB Jerick McKinnon on injured reserve

The #Chiefs placed veteran running back Jerick McKinnon on their injured reserve list on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs placed veteran running back Jerick McKinnon on their injured reserve list. The news came down on Christmas Eve, less than 24 hours before their Week 16 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the breaking news on social media as the Chiefs will be without the battle-tested veteran for the rest of the regular season. McKinnon’s placement on the injured reserve list will keep him out for at least four weeks as he recovers from a groin injury that has already held him out of two games this season.

He left last week’s victory over the New England Patriots early due to the nagging injury as the team has taken steps to give him more time to recover.

McKinnon will end his regular season with 21 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, with most of his production in the passing game consisting of 25 receptions for 192 yards and four touchdowns. He notably had 52 receptions, 512 yards, and nine touchdowns last season, creating a unique red-zone chemistry with Patrick Mahomes on the way to a Super Bowl title.

The early expectation is that Clyde Edwards-Helaire will become the regular third down running back in McKinnon’s absence, while rookie Deneric Prince could see some time on the field as position depth. The former LSU standout and starter for the Chiefs finished last week’s victory in New England with 37 yards rushing, four receptions for 64 yards, and a highlight reel red zone touchdown grab.

Chiefs announce Jerick McKinnon and Kadarius Toney are out vs. Raiders

Chiefs announce Jerick McKinnon and Kadarius Toney are out vs. Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs will be light on the offensive side during their Christmas Day matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The team announced Saturday that four players are out of the potential AFC West-clinching game.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid broke the news that Jerick McKinnon, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, and Donovan Smith will be unavailable as he addressed reporters following the team’s last practice before Christmas. As expected, Donovan Smith, who continues to deal with a neck injury, and Mecole Hardman, returning from injured reserve, haven’t been available in recent games. Hardman returned to practice during the week as a limited participant continuing to rehab his thumb injury.

McKinnon’s nagging groin issue has flared up again and has already cost the veteran running back two games this season. Toney is down with a new injury as he’s been designated out because of a strained hip. He has battled different injuries throughout the season, including knee surgery that held him out of training camp and the preseason.

The absences should open more opportunities for Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Wanya Morris and the potential returns of Justyn Ross and Isiah Pacheco.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid expects Isiah Pacheco to play in Week 16 vs. Raiders

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid expects running back Isiah Pacheco to play in Week 16 vs. the Las Vegas #Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday with solid production from their running game without starter Isish Pacheco. The second-year player was unavailable for the second consecutive week after recently having surgery on his injured shoulder.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid praised the effort of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon’s performances and gave a promising update on Pacheco’s condition during his Monday Zoom press conference.

“It wasn’t the muscle. But he’ll be back this week,” Reid explained. “It’d be good to go this week. So unless there’s a further setback, right now, everything’s positive for him to go. He really had a clearance last week from the Fella that did the surgery to go. Not precaution but cautious on it.”

The Chiefs’ leading rusher hasn’t played since Week 13’s loss against the Green Bay Packers, but Reid reiterated that Pacheco will likely play, barring any unforeseen setbacks.

“No, I think he’ll play this week,” Reid said. “Yeah. I think it’ll be ready to go. And that was a clearance that he had to be able to do that.”

The Chiefs get an early Christmas gift with the speedy return of Pacheco while also continuing to work Justyn Ross back into the system for his eventual comeback to the lineup.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 16 free agent forecast

Here are the top waiver wire targets for Week 16 of fantasy football.

For the majority of leagues, the first round of the fantasy football playoffs comes to an end Monday night after a wild weekend of games in Week 15.

Hopefully, you were able to get through the week unscathed with a victory, but there were plenty of injuries that hit managers right in the starting lineup.

Among the players with injuries to monitor enter Week 16 include Ja’Marr Chase, Keenan Allen, Josh Jacobs, Alexander Mattison, Brian Robinson Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Zack Moss, AJ Dillon and Isiah Pacheco.

The bye weeks also are finally over, so it will be just good old-fashioned fantasy football. With trade deadlines concluded in the majority of leagues as well, the waiver wire becomes the most vital tool for fantasy managers over the three weeks.

We’re also getting to the point of the season in which stashing FAAB isn’t as crucial. Don’t hesitate to spend a bit more on a player who might give your team an edge down the stretch.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes reflected on unique touchdown play call vs. Patriots

Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reflected on the unique touchdown play call against the New England #Patriots.

The playbook of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid feels endless on offense with all the different variations. Patrick Mahomes often preaches his enjoyment of the dazzling trick plays to keep the defense off-balance.

During Sunday’s victory over the New England Patriots, Mahomes and the offense scored on a new, unique play to catch everyone by surprise. He spoke about it with reporters in his postgame press conference.

“That was sweet. We’ve been working on that play for a while. And so I’m glad that it worked,” said Mahomes. “It was a little dicey there for a second, but we got it in the endzone.”

The play happened late in the first quarter; set up near the goal line, Jerick McKinnon received a direct snap from center Creed Humphrey, faked a run to the left, and tossed the ball to Rashee Rice, who was moving back to the right.

“That play was awesome,” Mahomes explained. “I mean, that’s a hard team to score on in the red zone. One of the best, and so to have a play like that, that we had worked on a long time and it worked was working perfectly for their scheme. And we execute at a high level.

“Coach (Andy) Reid believing that we can make it work and I will say that I was the one that said Joe (Thuney) should snap it. I will because I was like, That will mess him up the Creed (Humphrey) and Joe switch spots. And they kind of pushed to the line a little over, thinking that Creed was the center. So I didn’t make the play, but I did that part.”

There is no official name for the play yet, but it could quickly become a fixture in the playbook to run again in the red zone.

WATCH: Chiefs Patrick Mahomes hits Jerick McKinnon for TD vs. Patriots

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes hit Jerick McKinnon for a touchdown against the #Patriots in Week 15.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a halftime lead over the New England Patriots in Week 15 after a pretty pass from Patrick Mahomes to Jerick McKinnon scored a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter.

The score was McKinnon’s second touchdown of the day after he flipped a pass to Rashee Rice earlier in the game to get Kansas City on the board in the first quarter.

While the Chiefs’ four-point lead may seem safe to casual observers, the Patriots have proven to be a worthy adversary for the defending Super Bowl champions. Kansas City is set to receive the second-half kickoff when play resumes and could start to pull away in the box score if they can put together more scoring plays in the third quarter.

Expect Mahomes and Andy Reid to get creative late in this game as they look to guide the Chiefs to their ninth win of the 2023 season.

Chiefs get tricky for touchdown against Patriots

Andy Reid pulled off a trick play as the Chiefs took the lead over the Patriots

The Kansas City Chiefs dipped into Andy Reid’s bag of tricks for the first score in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

The pass goes from Jerick McKinnon to Rashee Rice for 4 yards after the running back was fed the football from Patrick Mahomes.

After the PAT, it was 7-0 for the road team.