The latest
Kareem Hunt Looking to ‘Shock the World’ With Chiefs | Athlon Sports
“I’m excited to go help shock the world and show them I’ve still got it,” Hunt said. “I couldn’t be more excited to help these guys defend that title, come back around here, see all these familiar faces and family here.”
Hunt will be looking to help the Chiefs become the first team to ever win three straight Super Bowls, and they are off to a great start.
Hunt has not been a consistent starter since he left the Chiefs, but he has been solid with the opportunities he has been given.
While Mahomes is completing passes at a top-10 clip (69.6%) right now, he’s now gone 16 straight games without a three-touchdown game through the air. The last time he achieved that mark: Oct. 22, 2023, during last year’s Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Throwing three scores doesn’t always equate to victory, but consider that from 2018 to 2022, Mahomes averaged 2.43 pass touchdowns per game (regular season), plus 2.5 per game in 14 playoff games. Since the start of the 2023 season, the perennial Pro Bowler is averaging just 1.65 passing scores per game.
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Becoming Top 5 NFL Receiver? | Athlon Sports
In a recent article by PFF, they rank who they believe are the best wide outs in the league ahead of the Week 4 slate of games, and they have Rashee Rice just cracking the top 5 at No. 5.
“He leads all receivers with 24 catches and 185 yards after the catch. Rice has been targeted 29 times at an adjusted rate of 41.4% (second). He ranks second in early-down targets (24), catching 20 passes for 243 yards (first),” Lauren Gray writes.
Creed Humphrey (unhappily) paid up on bet with Chiefs teammate Trey Smith | KC Star
“It’s often said that the offensive line is a brotherhood, and it is a brotherhood,” Baldinger said. “But within the brotherhood, these two players, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, they got drafted together, they basically started and played every single game together. And when they play, they play like they know exactly what each other is doing. …
“They’re always looking to help each other out. They’re inseparable. They study together. They go to work together. They hang out in the offseason. …. There’s no better combination of center and guard in the league than those two.”
The Chiefs linemen apparently made a bet on a game involving their alma maters on Saturday. Tennessee won 25-12 at Oklahoma, and Humphrey had to wear Volunteers colors in the Chiefs locker room.
Surviving September is the goal for the Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Addict
A month ago, if I’d told you rookie receiver Xavier Worthy would have more receiving yardage and touchdown receptions than Travis Kelce through three games, you might’ve insulted my intelligence. No one could’ve predicted two major injuries to offensive starters, but would you have predicted a 51.2 QBR and four interceptions for Patrick Mahomes?
Make no mistake, the Kansas City Chiefs have real questions that demand real answers. The trajectory of this football team is largely dependent upon fixing legitimate issues on both sides of the football. I’m concerned, but I’m heartened by the team finding ways to win despite its shortcomings. The Cincinnati Bengals are equally as flawed, but they’re on the business end of a 0-3 start after falling in Landover on Monday Night Football. As cliche as it might sound, “Things could be worse.”
Around the NFL
Deshaun Watson not interested in running more for Browns: ‘I’m not a running back’ | NFL.com
As Watson said Wednesday, he’s not interested in carrying that part of the offense, too. When he has been forced to run, it’s usually amid intense pressure allowed by a patchwork Browns offensive line that has failed to protect him consistently — Cleveland ranks 29th in hurry probability, illustrating their inability to hold up for three seconds or longer — and has produced a run success rate below 43 percent.
Simply, Watson isn’t much of a weapon as a runner, and given his injury history, it doesn’t seem wise to incorporate him into the running game. In fact, when in short-yardage situations, coach Kevin Stefanski has made a habit of inserting Jameis Winston at quarterback as the safer option for possible quarterback sneaks.
Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase puts drama behind, ‘having fun again’ | ESPN
Chase did not participate in any training camp practices as he tried to get a contract extension that never materialized. So when he caught his first touchdown of the season last Monday in a loss to the Washington Commanders, Chase said it provided a sense of relief.
And he’s back to enjoying the game.
“All this BS that was going on this offseason and prior to the season, I’m just happy that it’s over with,” Chase said Thursday. “I’m finally playing ball and having fun with the guys. That’s what matters most for me.”
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left Dallas to take the head coaching job with the Washington Commanders in the offseason. In 2024, the Cowboys rank among the worst defenses in the NFL.
According to one former NFL head coach, it didn’t have to be this way.
“I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute,” Rex Ryan told ESPN’s DiPietro and Rothenberg. “But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.”
Ryan hasn’t coached in the NFL since he was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2015-2016, but a report in the offseason suggested the Cowboys interviewed the now-ESPN analyst for their defensive coordinator job.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
What to make of Patrick Mahomes’ slow start in 2024
“I feel like I haven’t played very well,” he told reporters on Sunday evening. “That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there — and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at.”
Mahomes believes he needs to get back to the basics.
“I got to get my base right,” he said. “I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it off balance and didn’t hit Rashee [Rice] going down the seam there. I’ve got to get back to my fundamentals.”