Tag: Sammy Watkins

Latest injury update on Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sammy Watkins

One player is expected to go, the other will be a game-time decision.

The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with some injury issues ahead of their tilt with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game. The Chiefs had four players listed as questionable heading into this game. There are reports out on three of those players and it sounds like only one is probable to suit up against the Bills.

According to reports from both ESPN and NFL Network, the Chiefs expect to have rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire available to play today. Edwards-Helaire had been out since the Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons when he suffered a hip injury and a high ankle sprain. This will be a big boost to the Chiefs’ run game as Edwards-Helaire was one of the most effective players when the team faced the Bills in Buffalo back in Week 6. He rushed for a career-high 161 yards during that game.

As for the other two players, things don’t seem quite as optimistic.

Le’Veon Bell, who had his knee swell up during the practice week, is not expected to play according to both Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport. He was not yet a member of the team during the Week 6 matchup in Buffalo.

Both Schefter and Rapoport also noted that Sammy Watkins, who is dealing with a calf injury, is set to be a game-time decision. They both didn’t cite much optimism about Watkins’ ability to play. Watkins didn’t play against the Bills when the Chiefs traveled to Orchard Park in Week 6 either.

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Report: Clyde Edwards-Helaire likely back, Le’Veon Bell out for Chiefs

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is expected back but Le’Veon Bell looks out of the AFC Championship Game

The NFL world never stops for a Football Insider. ESPN’s Adam Schefter with some early Sunday news on the Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield hours before their AFC Championship Game with the Buffalo Bills.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been listed as questionable due to ankle and hip injuries. The team is still unsure exactly how much he will be able to play; it will depend on how he feels pregame and, if active, in the game, the source said.

Edwards-Helaire hasn’t played since being injured in the Chiefs’ Week 15 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Le’Veon Bell has been battling a swollen knee. Bell suffered a knee injury in last week’s daily practice participation reports and did not practice on Friday.

Wideout Sammy Watkins is also unlikely to go.

Of course, the big person to keep an eye on is quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has cleared concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the Divisional round against the Browns.

 

Who will Chiefs turn to with WR Sammy Watkins ruled out vs. Browns?

2016 fourth-round draft pick Demarcus Robinson is due for more snaps with Sammy Watkins ruled out for Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without WR Sammy Watkins against the Cleveland Browns in the AFC’s divisional round of the playoffs.

The Chiefs are no strangers to being without Watkins, though. Out of 53 possible games since 2018, including the playoffs, Watkins has only played in 39 of those games. Watkins’ impact on the field when he does play, however, can’t be understated. Particularly in the playoffs, his production has been vital, with a total of 24 catches, 464 yards and one touchdown over the span of the past two postseasons. That’s no small chunk of production, but Chiefs HC Andy Reid isn’t batting an eye at his absence.

“Yeah, listen, we all love Sammy,” Reid said on Friday. “He’s done a heck of a job here, but with any situation like this, we just say next guy up and we go. I’m not sure anybody blinks on that, you just giddy-up and go. And that’s not because Sammy’s not a great player, that’s not it. It’s just one of those things, how this team’s wired, and we do the best we possibly can. From a coaching standpoint on down with the players, just do the best you can and here we go. So, that’s what we’re doing.”

Fans would like to hope that it’ll be second-year WR Mecole Hardman or undrafted fan-favorite Byron Pringle to take the majority of the snaps in place of Watkins. The truth is that another veteran receiver has typically seen the greatest increase in snap share when Watkins hasn’t played this season.

When Watkins first suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5, Demarcus Robinson was the player to see extra playing time on offense. Robinson saw an increase in snaps from 41% to 68% of the Chiefs’ total snaps in Week 5 with Watkins’ injury. In Week 6, he’d play in 95% of the offensive snaps for Kansas City. He never saw less than 55% of the snaps on offense until Week 14, two weeks after Watkins’ returned from his first injury.

The former 2016 fourth-round draft pick is one of the more trusted receivers in the offense. His chemistry with Patrick Mahomes has always been special since the two worked together on the scout team in 2017. He’s good at finding the soft spots in the secondary when plays breakdown and Mahomes is forced to improvise.

On the year, Robinson has 45 receptions on 59 targets for 466 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 17, Robinson got the start for Kansas City and played in 89% of the snaps, recording six catches for 58 yards. Hopefully, he can carry over some of that success into the postseason, especially in an increased role with the starters.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury update following Wednesday practice

Some good and bad injury news for the Kansas City Chiefs came down on Wednesday.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid provided his usual injury update to reporters after the first practice session of the week on Wednesday. This is the first time we’ve had any significant injury updates involving starters since the practice week leading up to Week 17. There were three players absent from practice on Wednesday, including a crucial member of the receiving corps.

“The guys who didn’t practice today were Rashad Fenton, Willie Gay and Sammy Watkins,” Reid told reporters. “They’re all making progress.”

Gay is dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 17, Watkins is dealing with a calf injury that has hindered him throughout the season, and Rashad Fenton is dealing with dual ankle injuries suffered in Week 17.

Obviously, the injury to Watkins stands out here. He’s earned the nickname “Playoff Sammy” for a reason. The team has relied on him in some big moments in each of the past two seasons and not having him healthy could be a massive blow to the team.

Other than those three injuries the Chiefs are looking pretty good in the injury department. They got a crucial member of the offense back at practice today.

“Everybody else was out there moving around,” Reid said. “Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) got some work in today. He’s feeling better every day, every day that we go along here.”

While we don’t yet know the capacity in which Edwards-Helaire practiced on Wednesday, Reid elaborated on his progress.

“Ya know that is what he does,” Reid said. “I had a chance to see him in a couple of the rehab procedures as of late and he just gets after it. A lot of it is the way you approach it, the trust you have in the trainers and so on. I mean we’ve all had injuries and you guys have had injuries too. You think you’re going to break something by pushing it, but the trainers have a pretty good feel for what you can do and can’t do. You kind of surprise yourself. I’ll tell you, though, this kid, he kind of just went right at it. He was fearless with it and as a result, I’d tell you he’s probably a little bit ahead and we’ve just got to evaluate him. We’re not going to do anything to jeopardize him or his career. We’re taking it day-by-day with him and we’ll keep doing that. We’ll see how he does here.”

It sounds like he’s trending in the right direction and has a good chance to make his return this week. Having a strong running game will be an important element for the offense throughout the course of the playoffs.

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Report: Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins has ‘good chance’ to return for playoffs

A new report says that Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins’ calf injury is not believed to be serious.

Injuries have plagued the career of Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins, but the latest one doesn’t appear to be something that will keep him from the field for very long.

Watkins suffered a calf injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Watkins avoided any sort of major injury that would keep him out for a significant period of time. With a rest week expected in Week 17 and the first-round bye for the Chiefs, Rapoport says that there will be a good chance that Watkins is ready to return for the divisional round of the playoffs.

It’s perhaps most important to have Watkins healthy and available for the playoffs because that is when he’s done his best work with the team. In his two seasons in Kansas City, Watkins has combined for 24 catches for 464 yards and one touchdown. He’s come up with a number of clutch receptions during those games too, earning the nickname “Playoff Sammy” among many Chiefs fans.

Watkins’ status bears watching despite this report. Earlier this season, he was knocked out in Week 5 with a hamstring injury. He attempted to return in Week 11 but suffered a calf injury during practice that kept him out another week. The Chiefs would obviously like to have Watkins at his best, but would they be willing to play him if he’s not 100% healthy in his return?

We’ll find out more about his status in the coming weeks.

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Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins doubtful to return vs. Falcons with calf injury

Watkins appears to have reaggravated a calf injury from earlier this season.

Kansas City Chiefs fans will be saddened to hear two words they have become far too accustomed to hearing: Watkins and Injury.

Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins left the game in the fourth quarter with a calf injury. Watkins dealt with a hamstring injury earlier this season which kept him out for several weeks. As he was close to making his return, he suffered a new calf injury in practice which slowed his return.

At face value, this would appear to be a reaggravation of that injury, but we’ll learn more about Watkins’ status when Andy Reid speaks to the media following the game.

The Chiefs offense has been off in general today, but they’re markedly better when Watkins is on the field. He had two catches for 14 yards and that’s what he’ll finish the day with if he’s unable to return. Unfortunately, the story of Watkins’ career has been injuries and his time in Kansas City has been marred by them too. He hasn’t played a full year in each of his three seasons.

If the Chiefs manage to clinch the No. 1 seed it’s possible that he’ll get a full three weeks off to rest and recover. Assuming the injury isn’t serious and they’re just being cautious with his doubtful status, Watkins could return healthy in time for the playoffs.

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Watch: Sammy Watkins pass to Patrick Mahomes is picked by Falcons’ Keanu Neal

The Chiefs’ trick play of a pass from Sammy Watkins to Patrick Mahomes was picked

The Kansas City Chiefs probably should have kept this one in their bag of tricks.

Instead, Andy Reid dipped in and it cost as Sammy Watkins proved he is no Patrick Mahomes when it comes to passing and accuracy.

The wide receiver attempted to find the quarterback with a pass and it was picked off by the Atlanta Falcons’ Keanu Neal in the second quarter on Sunday at Arrowhead.

Going forward we expect Mahomes to be doing the throwing and Watkins to be on the receiving end of those passes.

Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins has ‘good chance’ of making his return vs. Buccaneers

Watkins seems to have a very good shot at returning to action in Week 12.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins has missed the last five games with hamstring and calf injuries, but it looks like he could make his return in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was reported ahead of Week 11 that the team was “optimistic” he’d make his return, but we have some more confirmation. Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke on the possibility of Watkins making his return after the receiver had a full week of practice.

“There’s a pretty good chance, yeah,” Reid said. “Yeah, he did a good job [in practice].”

As for his potential role in Week 12, it sounds like he should be able to jump right back into things without any sort of snap restrictions. Reid explained his process a bit in regards to Watkins’ potential snaps.

“I’ll keep an eye on him, yeah,” Reid said. “I mean, I’m not necessarily going to put him on a pitch count as much as I’ll just keep an eye on him. I have a pretty good feel on how he rolls, so we’ll be alright. And I mean we talk, we communicate, so that’s important too.”

The team has missed Watkins and his return couldn’t come at a better time after they recently placed WR Byron Pringle on injured reserve. Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy explained a bit about what the team will be getting back when Watkins makes his return.

“What makes Sammy [Watkins] perfect is that Sammy complements everyone as far as our receiving group goes,” Bieniemy explained. “We’ve got different body types, we’ve got different guys that can present different issues. He’s a bigger body, he’s smart, he’s intelligent, he plays hard, he’s a great guy, he’s a professional — so he brings a lot to the table. The beauty of it is, coach Greg Lewis does a heck of a job with that room, getting the very best out of them. Because, regardless of who is in there, the next man is responsible for playing whatever position we assign them to. You ask, what does he bring to the X position. It’s not so much that it’s a particular position because in that room we have a wide receiver group who are responsible for knowing all the positions.”

You can never have too many weapons at Patrick Mahomes’ disposal. A healthy Watkins could help this team take the next step during the final six games of the 2020 NFL season. We’ll find out later today when the injury report is revealed if Watkins will, in fact, make his return in Week 12.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates following Wednesday practice

Chiefs HC Andy Reid says the team is healthy heading into Week 12 vs. Buccaneers

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided updates on the health of his football team following practice on Wednesday. The team practiced indoors on Wednesday, likely due to the weather. The news that Reid relayed to reporters was good as he had no injuries to report.

Reid said that everyone on the roster practiced in some capacity on Wednesday, that includes WR Sammy Watkins, who has missed the last five games with hamstring and calf injuries.

It was reported ahead of the Week 11 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders that Watkins was expected to make his return in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While we don’t yet know Watkins’ participation on Wednesday, it’d seem that he is currently tracking to play.

Tyreek Hill gave fans a taste of what they’ll get with the return of Watkins.

“I mean, today at practice Sammy (Watkins) made a ridiculous catch,” Hill said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, Sammy has still got it.’ He pretty much knows the whole entire offense. He’s a hard worker, he’s a veteran in this league, so he already knows how to come back. He’s been working his butt off in therapy during the bye week and I’m excited for him.”

The Chiefs did suffer one significant injury during Week 11, with Byron Pringle suffering an ankle injury and subsequently being placed on injured reserve. The team is currently thin in terms of depth at the receiver position, but Andy Reid anticipates they’ll be calling someone up from the practice squad this week.

“We’ve got a couple of guys,” Reid said. “[Guys] that we can put up that are also good special teams players. We’ll make that decision once we get there, but guys that have played before there that we can elevate.”

The question remains as to which player will receive the call up to the 53-man roster on game day. It sounds like special teams will play a role in the choice for Kansas City. The team has a lot of options to choose from, but a few of those players have already exhausted their two-time standard elevation limit.

Check back later for the first injury report from both the Buccaneers and the Chiefs for more injury news from practice for each team.

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