Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Kansas City Chiefs

AFC Championship: Bengals at Chiefs

by

KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – In the playoffs, there’s no passer like Patrick Mahomes at home.

Embed from Getty Images

Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs welcome the Bengals in the AFC Championship game Sunday in a repeat of the 2021 title game that sent Joe Burrow and Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. But there’s a significant twist.

Mahomes plans to play with a sprained right ankle and has lost three games in a row to the Bengals, including 27-24 on Dec. 4. His health and the groundswell of support for Burrow has the Chiefs as the underdog in the playoffs for the first time in Mahomes’ career.

Mahomes has been at his best on the big stage with 32 touchdowns (28 TD passes, four rushing) and three interceptions in 10 career home playoff starts.

The tug of war for bettors has been evident since Sunday night, when most books had the Chiefs as favorites — by 2 or 3 points — only to see the Bengals favored by 2 as a consensus by midday Monday. But with Mahomes’ status firmed up by the Chiefs and video evidence to support, the public forced a wild swing that had Kansas City favored by a point.

Embed from Getty Images

Burrow, mind you, is 19-5 against the spread in his last 24 games as an underdog. Cincinnati is 9-0 in its last nine as an underdog.

As of Friday morning, the Chiefs were a 1.5-point favorite and a low money line to win outright (-118 at FanDuel). By Sunday, the spread went to (-2).

The initial sprain forced him out of the Chiefs’ divisional playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. He returned to the game with limited mobility, completing 22 of 30 passes for a season-low 195 yards with two touchdowns and was not sacked.

He’s 9-3 in 12 career playoff games with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Mahomes said the injury isn’t as severe as his 2019 high ankle sprain or a toe injury two seasons ago, when he finished the season in a Super Bowl defeat at the hands of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The difference will be in physical limitations on his right ankle and plant leg throwing from the pocket.

Cincinnati has a 10-game winning streak and its most recent loss was to Cleveland on Halloween. Burrow would tie Russell Wilson for most wins (six) by a quarterback in their first three seasons if he can knock off the Chiefs again.

“He’s got an edge to him,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Burrow. “I like that in our quarterback.”

He hasn’t been intercepted in his past three playoff games. In three starts against the Chiefs, Burrow has nine TDs (one rushing), one interception and a combined passer rating of 121.

 

Bills, Chiefs Reunite in Playoff Rematch

by

KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) The Buffalo Bills return to the scene of a painful playoff loss when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

Embed from Getty Images

The Bills seemingly were en route to an AFC Divisional round victory when they went ahead with 13 seconds left in regulation this past January, but the Chiefs tied the contest with a field goal and eventually won 42-36 in overtime on Patrick Mahomes’ 8-yard scoring pass to Travis Kelce.

Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said the heartbreaking loss serves as an educational experience.

“I think just overall, you learn a lot through your experience, whether it’s positive or negative, and you can use it as you move forward as a person individually, as a team in this case,” McDermott told reporters on Wednesday. “I think when you’re in those games, just being in those games to begin with is a great educator for us as coaches, players and our football team.”

The Chiefs (4-1) and Bills (4-1) are tied for best record in the AFC. This will be the fifth meeting in the past two-plus seasons, with the teams splitting two regular-season contests and Kansas City winning a pair of playoff games.

The contest also arguably pits the top two quarterbacks in the NFL in Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

Mahomes leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes while throwing for 1,398 yards and two interceptions. He threw four touchdown passes to Kelce in Monday night’s 30-29 home win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It marks the 15th time he has thrown four or more scoring passes in a regular-season game.

Kelce’s scoring receptions were topped by just one tight end in NFL history. Kellen Winslow of the famed “Air Coryell” San Diego Chargers caught five against the then-Oakland Raiders in 1981.

“Being down by 17, nobody cracked, and you didn’t see doubt in anybody’s eyes. All it did was build the beast, make us rally together and fight for each other,” Kelce said of the comeback victory. “We know we can play some good football when we have that kind of mentality.”

Allen leads the NFL with 1,651 passing yards, including a career-high 424 yards in last Sunday’s 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw four touchdowns, all in the first half, to raise his season count to 14 against four interceptions.

He is no longer interested in hearing anything about the game that got away nine months ago.

“We moved on. We’re ready to focus on this week,” Allen said. “I know everybody in the media will make a big deal out of it but as players, it really is just our next game on the schedule. Nothing we did last year carries over to this year.”

The two stars have a friendly relationship despite all the recent clashes.

“When you go up against the other great quarterback in the league, you always want to win, you always want to compete,” Mahomes said on Wednesday. “Josh is a great guy. He’s a great quarterback, physically talented. He can throw, he can run, he can do it all.

“When we’re on the football field, we’re competing against each other and we want to beat each other’s teams. I have a ton of respect for him and the player and person that he is.”

Both teams have won two straight games since dropping games in Week 3 — Kansas City lost 20-17 to the host Indianapolis Colts while the Bills fell 21-19 to the host Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo listed defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) as a full practice participant on Wednesday for the initial time since he was injured in Week 1. Receiver Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) also was a full-go after missing the Pittsburgh game. Missing the workout for injury reasons were running back Taiwan Jones (knee) and receiver Jake Kumerow (ankle).

Kansas City safety Bryan Cook (concussion), defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (knee) and cornerbacks Rashad Fenton (hamstring) and Chris Lammons (hip) missed practice Wednesday.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: KC Chiefs at Tampa

by

TAMPA BAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Chiefs All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and visiting Kansas City are prepared to test their mettle against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a high-profile showdown on Sunday night. The game remains in Florida, despite Hurricane Ian making landfall in the area on Wednesday. The NFL adopted a contingency plan of Minneapolis for Sunday’s contest before electing to keep the game in Florida.

Embed from Getty Images

While expressing sympathy for those affected by Mother Nature, Mahomes said the plan remains the same as the Chiefs (2-1) brace for the Buccaneers (2-1).

“For us, it’s an away game regardless,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “So, you’re going to be going somewhere else to play. So, you just have to focus on the game plan, and try to prepare yourself that way.”

Mahomes and Brady are no strangers to one another, with the former holding a 2-1 edge in regular-season play while the latter has gotten the better of both postseason matchups. Brady guided the New England Patriots to a win over Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game of the 2018 season before quarterbacking the Buccaneers past the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Tampa Bay’s defense arguably was the star of the show in that game and can make that same claim this season by surrendering a league-best 9.0 points per game.

Linebacker Shaq Barrett provided some bulletin board material on Wednesday by comparing the Chiefs’ offensive line that took the field on that day to the current one.

“I really don’t think it’s too much of a difference,” Barrett said with a laugh. “I think we have a lot of favorable matchups. We have an opportunity to really dominate the game. I think we’ve got an opportunity to really impose our will as pass-rushers, as edge rushers in this game. We can really have a coming-out party.”

Brady, however, appears to be waiting for the party to start this season. The three-time NFL MVP has thrown for just 673 yards and three touchdowns in three games after setting franchise records in both categories last season (5,316, 43). Brady, 45, threw for 271 yards and one touchdown in Tampa Bay’s 14-12 setback to Green Bay last Sunday.

Russell Gage had 12 catches for 87 yards and a score for the Buccaneers, who played without wideouts Mike Evans (suspension), Julio Jones and Chris Godwin.

While Evans will return to the fold against Kansas City, the returns of Jones (knee) and Godwin (hamstring) are not set in stone. Jones, Godwin and Gage (hamstring) joined tackle Donovan Smith (elbow) in being listed as questionable for the game, while wideout Breshad Perriman (knee/hamstring) is doubtful. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (foot) has been ruled out for the contest.

Mahomes started the season with a brilliant five-touchdown effort in a 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals before turning in a pair of relatively mediocre performances. The 2018 NFL MVP threw for just 235 yards in a 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and completed just 57.1 percent of his passes in a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles isn’t buying any potential offensive woes for the Chiefs, however.

“The running game has picked up. They’ve got big offensive linemen down there. They’ve got bigger receivers — as opposed to smaller, quicker receivers — that can catch the ball very well,” Bowles said. “They’ve still got (Travis) Kelce, they’ve still got (Clyde Edwards-) Helaire, they’ve still got a lot of pieces and Mahomes has only gotten better since we played them. He was great then, he’s great now, he’s gotten better.”

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was ruled out for the third straight game after he sustained an ankle injury in the season opener.

Kicker Matthew Wright and linebacker Elijah Lee were elevated from the team’s practice squad on Saturday.

Wright, 26, has made 25 of 28 field-goal attempts and 20 of 22 extra-point tries in 17 career games with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2020) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2021).

Kansas City defensive end Mike Danna (calf) also was ruled out, while wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (abdomen) and defensive end Joshua Kaindoh (illness) are questionable to play on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

RealResponse Adds KC Chiefs and Denver Broncos

by

KANSAS CITY/DENVER – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – . Both will use the system to proactively stay in communication with employees regarding feedback on areas impacting their wellbeing – both positives that are benefiting experiences as well as to gain additional insight into the issues that may need to be addressed.

“RealResponse is a critical tool that our organization will utilize at all levels to enhance our communication with employees,” said Nancy Svoboda, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for the Denver Broncos. “We are proud of our workplace culture and we want to continue to be proactive in supporting our staff by making sure that their voices continue to be heard. We are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking platform.”

“Creating an efficient, confidential and anonymous way to proactively identify and address issues and opportunities will make us better. We are proud to be a part of this emerging trend within professional sports,” said Kirsten Krug, Executive Vice President of Administration for the Kansas City Chiefs.

“The platform we have built is all about empowering athletes and employees’ voices and keeping those in leadership informed not just on issues, but on opportunities to better communicate and work together,” said David Chadwick, RealResponse founder.  “Whether it is a junior staff member receiving acknowledgement for going above and beyond the call or a senior administrator alerting leadership of potential issues regarding employee health and well-being.’

The two teams will begin implementing and onboarding staff into the system in the coming weeks. RealResponse already works with the NFLPA for player-related reporting, but having teams engaged will make the system more holistic and impactful across all areas of the organizations.

Originally founded in 2015 and then expanded in 2020, RealResponse is a partner with more than 100 colleges and universities as well as with the NFLPA, USADA, the NWSL, and USA Gymnastics, giving more than 100,000 athletes and staff the ability to anonymously share feedback and concerns in a safe and secure manner.