Tag: milestone

Alvin Kamara’s untimely injury puts a career milestone in jeopardy

Alvin Kamara was on pace to check this box off his resume, but his groin injury could keep the Saints RB from reaching a major career milestone:

Alvin Kamara has been one of the NFL’s best running backs since entering the league in 2017. As the league transitioned to prioritizing running backs who can run and catch, the New Orleans Saints star was a leader of that charge. Winning the Saints franchise record for touchdowns scored and rushing yards gained is proof of it.

Because of his sustained prominence, some would be surprised to know Alvin Kamara has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. If Kamara’s groin injury keeps him out for the rest of the season, he will fall just short of the century mark again.

Kamara recently surpassed his career-high in yardage. This season marks just the second time he ran for at least 900 yards. In 2020, Kamara fell 68 yards short of crossing 1,000 yards. When the milestone was within arm’s reach, he tested positive for COVID-19 in the final week of the season.

This time he had three games left in need of just 50 yards. All he would have needed was to average 17 rushing yards a game. That felt like a safe bet. But if Kamara isn’t able to return this year, he will narrowly miss checking this box of his resume for the second time in his career.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes approaches more milestones ahead of Week 8 vs. Raiders

Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes approaches more milestones ahead of Week 8 vs. Las Vegas #Raiders | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ ongoing 12-game winning streak (including postseason), dating back to the last regular season, has them on top of the NFL standings.

“I don’t want to say it doesn’t come easily because we’re winning games against good teams by a good amount of points, and that’s not easy for the NFL,” said Mahomes during his Week 7 postgame press conference. “But I just don’t think it’s normal for what you’ve seen from us because there’s not a lot of passing touchdowns. There’s been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. So, I think it’s just showing the versatility of our team.”

Since making his first career start in the 2017 regular-season finale, Mahomes has a .792 winning percentage [95-25 (80-22 in regular season, 15-3 in postseason)] as a starting quarterback in his first eight NFL seasons.

“It’s not just about me; it’s not just about the stats, the light show, and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football,” said Mahomes. I believe that if we continue to work, we’ll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field. Until then, it’s nice to know that we have a great running game, we have a great defense, and we’re able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games.”

Mahomes’ next win will surpass Peyton Manning (80 wins) and Ben Roethlisberger(80) for the third-most wins by a starting quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history. He can also become the third quarterback to record three career-winning streaks of 12 or more games, including the postseason, joining Tom Brady and Manning.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on recent milestones: ‘I’m going to enjoy this moment’

Kansas City #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on recent milestones: ‘I’m going to enjoy this moment’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has earned many accolades throughout his career and crossed more milestones off the list in Week 4.

After his 245 passing yards in last Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Chargers, Mahomes passed Drew Bledsoe to move into ninth place for most passing yards in a player’s first eight seasons in the NFL with 29,328 in 100 career games. Despite only being in his seventh year as a full-time starter, Mahomes has already eclipsed multiple quarterbacks in this category.

In his press conference following Sunday’s victory over the Chargers, Mahomes briefly commented on completing his 100th game in the NFL.

“It’s cool because I know how it is in the NFL,” said Mahomes. “We’ve been blessed to play in a lot of games, a lot of big games, and win a couple of Super Bowls here. But at the end of the day, you don’t take it for granted, man. I mean, you’re on a platform that you dreamed of as a little kid. And I think I (will) try to enjoy those moments and have 100 games in. I’m going to enjoy this moment, and we’re going to move on. That’s how the NFL works.”

After one touchdown pass in Sunday’s game, Mahomes has 225 career touchdown passes in his first eight seasons, ranking fourth in NFL history. He trails Russell Wilson by two touchdown tosses to break into the top three.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach reached a career milestone after Week 4 victory over the Chargers

Kansas City #Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reached a career milestone after Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles #Chargers | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs continued their winning ways on Sunday, winning 17-10 over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters during his weekly Monday Zoom press conference, congratulating general manager Brett Veach on his 200th win as an NFL front office member.

“Yeah, Brett (Veach) done a phenomenal job with the personnel, and we appreciate the energy that he brings every day, and the players, they see that, and they see the competition and depth that we have on the team and how Brett goes about his business,” said Reid. “So, Pat (Patrick Mahomes) ended up presenting him with the game ball. And it’s saying something when a player does that more than the front office or the coach. So I think that he’s got that respect.”

Veach has been a member of the Chiefs’ front office since 2013, starting as a Pro and college personnel analyst. He was promoted to co-director of player personnel in 2015 and eventually to general manager in 2017.

“That’s a tough position to be in because you’re not only bringing guys in but also letting guys go,” said Reid. “So you can be a good cop and a bad cop, and it’s a tough position to balance. But he’s very real with people, and how he goes about his business there, so he has. He’s gonna let you know the where and why of what he does.”

Veach will likely be busy this week making moves to adjust the roster after starting wide receiver Rashee Rice’s knee injury.

Andy Reid reflects on earning milestone victory as Chiefs head coach

Andy Reid reflects on earning milestone victory as Kansas City #Chiefs head coach | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in Week 3 over the Atlanta Falcons kept them undefeated in the young season and clinched another milestone for their head coach.

During his weekly Zoom press conference on Monday, Reid acknowledged his fantastic accomplishment of winning his 131st regular-season game as Chiefs head coach and expressed appreciation to the many assistant coaches and players he worked with.

“It means I’ve been around a lot of good players and good coaches. As you know, it’s not a one-man show; I’ve been lucky to be with two great organizations,” said Reid. “Then, you’re only as good as your next one; that’s how this thing works. It really doesn’t matter what took place in the past when you’re in the present here, man; you have to stay on top of your game, and that’s all of us. We know we’re getting everybody’s best shot. There’s a funny stat that goes with that: since 2006, the record for teams coming off two home wins to start the season, going into game three and winning game three, there’s been three out of 13 that have done that – now four out of 14 – but three out of 13 going into our game that have done that. So, 10 of them went home not happy.”

Reid is the league’s oldest head coach and has officially won more games with the Chiefs than during his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles (130).

“Staying on top of your game becomes an important thing; there’s a certain mindset that goes with that,” said Reid. “However it gets done, whatever phase of the game or person picks it up to make it happen becomes an important thing. When I look at these things and pick out the positives, that’s what I’m looking at. We’ll work on the negatives, but the night of the game after a win, I’m going to pick out the positives and then let the boys know that when we get back, we’ll make sure that we take care of business and try to get ourselves better, which we all know we need to do.”

Reid will look to extend his wins total with Kansas City in Week 4 against the AFC West division rival Los Angeles Chargers.

Chiefs QB Blaine Gabbert spoke about TE Travis Kelce being 16 yards away from milestone

#Chiefs QB Blaine Gabbert spoke about TE Travis Kelce being 16 yards away from milestone

The Kansas City Chiefs roll into their Week 18 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers without much to play for team-wise, as they have already clinched their spot in the postseason. The focus will be on their reserve players getting some time on the field as the usual starters take the week to rest before the Wild Card round.

Chiefs quarterback Blaine Gabbert will be one of the reserves expected to start on Sunday as he will step in for Patrick Mahomes. During his rare podium press conference appearance on Wednesday, the veteran addressed the elephant in the room about Travis Kelce, who was only a few yards from another 1,000-yard season.

“The best part about the culture that we have here. It’s there’s a lot of selfless individuals. I know you’re getting at Travis 16 yards away from 1000. We all know that,” Gabbert said with a smile. “But, you know, that’s not how Trav plays. He wants team success first, and he’s always been that way.

“He genuinely loves football, and if he wants to play, he’ll play, and if it’s coach (Andy) Reid’s decision to have him rest, he’s going to rest, and ultimately, that’s on coach Reid. But you know, if we’re out there, we’re gonna do our damn best to get him 17 yards.”

Kelce hasn’t been confirmed for this Sunday, so it appears to be an opportunity for him to try and get those precious yards for the milestone.

“It’d be a lot of fun,” Gabbert explained. “I think he’s got a big string of 1000-yard seasons in a row, and I know tight ends (don’t) come even close to that. And now you’re getting into the receiver talk. The Mike Evans of the world has done 10 or 11 straight now this year, and that’s a rare special group of individuals Hall of Fame individuals to kind of have that run in a row. So he may say it doesn’t mean anything, but it means something for the quarterback and for this organization to get another 1000 yards.”

Gabbert saw plenty of time during the preseason for the Chiefs and will look to stay sharp and be a realistic option if needed in the postseason, similar to former backup Chad Henne.

Amon-Ra St. Brown could hit receiving milestone vs. Packers

Detroit WR Amon-Ra St. Brown could hit a receiving milestone in the Lions’ Thanksgiving game vs. the Packers

Thursday could be a day of celebration for Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He’s on the threshold of a milestone the team would be thankful for him to hit on Thanksgiving

St. Brown currently has 898 receiving yards after 10 games, good for fourth in the NFL. He stands a decent chance of being the fourth to hit the 1,000-yard mark when the Lions host the Packers in Week 12.

He’ll need a bigger game than he typically has against Green Bay. St. Brown averages just 57 receiving yards per game in five contests versus the Packers. He was right at that average in the first meeting, with five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s Week 4 win in Green Bay.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes accomplished rare feat with win vs. Vikings

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes joined elite company by accomplishing this rare feat against the #Vikings in Week 5.

By securing a victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes joined an elite list as one of just 10 signal-callers in NFL history to defeat 31 teams in his career. Unsurprisingly, Mahomes is the first quarterback to achieve the feat before the age of 30.

Wins in the NFL don’t come easy, and Mahomes has managed to find success against every opponent he has faced over the years, even if he has dropped a few games along the way. At present, the only team that Mahomes hasn’t bested is the Chiefs, who are sure to hope that they never join the list to give the reigning MVP a win over every franchise in the league.

With plenty of his career ahead of him, Mahomes can focus on doubling up on this herculean task, and beat every team once more to prove that this achievement in his 20s wasn’t a fluke.

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes hits Noah Gray for long TD vs. Jets

Patrick Mahomes found Noah Gray for his 200th career touchdown pass to give the #Chiefs a 17-point lead over the #Jets on Sunday night.

Patrick Mahomes helped get the Kansas City Chiefs out to a 17-point lead over the New York Jets with a fantastic touchdown pass to Noah Gray late in the first quarter of the highly anticipated Week 4 matchup.

Mahomes clearly wasn’t satisfied with the field goal that Kansas City scored on its first offensive drive, and even after seeing Isiah Pacheco scamper for a long touchdown earlier in the first frame, the reigning MVP wanted in on the action himself.

He found Gray for six points on this beautiful throw that will go down in history as his 200th career touchdown pass.

A fluke safety on a holding call early in the second quarter yielded New York its first points of the game, but Mahomes managed to get Kansas City out to a three-score league with this historic connection.

Watch for Mahomes to continue getting the ball to his receivers later in the game as he looks to push the Chiefs’ record to 3-1 heading into the middle part of the 2023 NFL schedule.

Trent McDuffie graded as NFL’s top CB by PFF through Week 3

Trent McDuffie has earned high marks from Pro Football Focus for his early-season dominance in the #Chiefs’ secondary.

Trent McDuffie has all the makings of a superstar at the cornerback position, and after a standout rookie season for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, he seems to have redoubled his efforts for the team’s championship defense campaign this year.

Through three weeks, McDuffie has managed to grade out as the best cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

In addition to having the best composite grade at his position, McDuffie is also the only cornerback to have recorded two games with a grade of 80 or higher.

Performances like the ones he has put together to this point in the season are a welcome development for fans who have yearned for a defensive resurgence in Kansas City.

The Chiefs offense has more high-end help than it has ever had in the Patrick Mahomes era, and McDuffie’s dominance has certainly helped the team get out to a 2-1 start to their 2023 season.