Tag: milestone

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.

WATCH: Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt congratulates Andy Reid on impressive career milestone

Clark Hunt congratulated Andy Reid for an impressive career milestone after the #Chiefs’ win over the #Bears on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 3 win over the Chicago Bears was notable for many reasons, but perhaps the most impressive feat achieved in the game was Andy Reid’s ascension to fourth place on the NFL’s all-time leaderboard for wins as a head coach with 271 career victories.

After the veteran skipper wrapped up his comments to the Chiefs on Sunday evening, team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt stepped in to congratulate Reid on his impressive career milestone.

While a win in this game may have seemed like a foregone conclusion for the defending Super Bowl champions, the victory is sure to have meant a bit more for Reid, who is rapidly gaining ground on George Halas for third place on the win leaderboard.

With a bit of luck and another decade of success, Reid could have an outside shot to take over the first-place spot from legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, who ended his career with 347 wins.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid encouraged by Rashee Rice’s week one performance

Andy Reid liked what he saw from rookie receiver Rashee Rice in the #Chiefs’ loss to the #Lions.

One slightly bright spot in the Chiefs’ loss to the Lions last week was Rashee Rice’s ability to make an impact on the game.

Although the stat line may seem pedestrian (three catches for 29 yards and one touchdown), it was a solid building block for a receiving room that is begging for consistent production.

Andy Reid highlighted Rice’s ability to find space and feel for open areas on the field, which was demonstrated by his one-yard touchdown reception.

“He [Rashee Rice] did a nice job. Both him and Blake [Bell] did nice jobs on theirs [touchdown receptions], kind of feeling the area,” Reid said. “And that’s one of Rashee’s strengths, and we could use them a little bit more in those types – different situations where space is important. We’re trying to bring these guys along as we go, and I thought he sure did a nice job right there.”

With Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore unable to take over as the WR1 up to this point, Rice could see himself as the top target behind Travis Kelce once the 33-year-old tight end returns from injury.

Justin Fields enters Week 16 with seventh-most rushing yards in the NFL

Fields has set the league ablaze with his abilities in the rushing game this year and enters Week 16 as the NFL’s seventh-leading rusher

Justin Fields has turned heads across the league with his exceptional rushing abilities in 2022, though they haven’t necessarily translated to winning the Chicago Bears games to this point in the season. Entering Week 16, Fields is the NFL’s seventh-leading rusher by yardage with exactly 1000 yards under his belt on the ground this season.

Prolific though he may be, Chicago’s fans are more concerned with the team’s ability to turn his raw production into marks in the win column. At 3-11, the Bears boast the NFL’s second-worst record and are in need of a big win against a top-tier opponent to get Chicago’s denizens back behind the team heading into the 2023 season.

Fields has done his best, and nobody has ever doubted that he is making the most of the opportunity presented to him, but without wins to show for his efforts, thousand-yard seasons and potential only go so far. The Bears’ goal when they traded up to draft him was to secure themselves a franchise quarterback with which to compete for a Super Bowl championship and, to this point, it just hasn’t been in the cards for him to be able to meet that loftiest of expectations.

As he continues to develop, the game-breaking plays that Fields makes with his feet will need to give way to more traditional traits that championship-caliber teams get from their quarterbacks; the ability to find receivers downfield with consistency, limit turnovers, keep defenses guessing, etc.

For now, in a failed season where Chicago is likely in for a rebuild in the new year, Fields’ counting stats will have to suffice for a silver lining that fans can point to as an area of improvement this season. But soon, the most basic of stats, wins and losses, will come to define his legacy more than what he has accomplished with his legs in 2022.

Justin Fields seeks to secure first career win vs. Eagles on Sunday

Fields will be facing the #Eagles for the first time in his career and will look to secure the #Bears a win in the highly anticipated matchup

Second-year starting quarterback Justin Fields is set to play the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time in his NFL career on Sunday, and hopes are high that he will be able to help the Chicago Bears secure their fourth victory of the season in the matchup. Fields has had a remarkable season despite his team’s struggle to get into the win column, and Chicago’s chances of finding success against the 12-1 Eagles will hinge on his performance.

The Bears have faced their share of adversity in 2022, but Fields has been a rock amid all of the moving pieces that have caused them to slide to their current record. To be sure, there remains room for improvement in his game, but his natural talent has started to push his play into more productive territory than it was last season.

If he is able to put up big numbers on the ground against Philadelphia, Chicago should stand a legitimate chance of knocking off the NFC’s top team in this Week 15 tilt. It will take a solid effort from the Bears’ defense to keep quarterback Jalen Hurts from blowing the game wide open with his exceptional cast of capable receivers in the passing game, but if they can hold up their end of the bargain, Fields should be able to help Chicago keep the score close.

This Bears team has already played every other team in the NFC East this season and is winless against the division to this point. Fields will look to reverse that trend on Sunday and seek to gash the Eagles’ defense at every opportunity he gets.

In previous matchups against NFC East opponents this year, Fields combined for 515 passing yards and three touchdowns while also managing to add 200 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Look for these numbers to improve in a game where Chicago has nothing to lose against this playoff-bound Philadelphia squad.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Jaire Alexander tied for fourth place in NFL for interceptions ahead of Week 15 matchup vs. Rams

Alexander will look to climb the NFL’s interceptions leaderboard with a big game against the #Rams in Week 15

Jaire Alexander has had a phenomenal 2022 season in the Green Bay Packers secondary and is looking to add to his list of achievements with a big game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. He is currently tied for fourth place on the NFL’s list of players with the most interceptions this season and could climb higher with a few more picks before the season comes to a close.

Matched up against the Rams’ struggling offense, Alexander will have to compete against the likes of wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson to ensure that Green Bay maintains an edge over Los Angeles’ air attack. The 5-8 Packers cannot afford to let quarterback Baker Mayfield keep this game within striking distance after he orchestrated an outstanding comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders last week.

Though Alexander will have his work cut out for him against the defending Super Bowl champions, it isn’t out of the question that he could make an outsized impact on the final outcome of this crucial tilt. Los Angeles has struggled to move the ball on the ground all season, and will likely resort to a pass-first strategy as they pursue their fifth win of the year.

Green Bay is sure to be hard at work studying the Rams’ offensive tendencies and readying themselves for the challenge of playing an exceptionally well-coached team that will never be an easy out on Sunday. Even without Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles has shown grit and tenacity in 2022 that any team or fanbase would be envious of, and the Packers would be wise to not overlook their opponent, despite their losing record.

If last week’s comeback win by the Rams was any indication, Green Bay is in for an exceptionally demanding game that should give Alexander plenty of chances to make a difference on the outcome.