Josh Simmons Acclimation During Bye Week CRITICAL For Chiefs Playoff Hopes

Josh Simmons Acclimation During Bye Week CRITICAL For Chiefs Playoff Hopes

Chiefs all quiet on the Western Front at the Trey Dun line, at least mostly. And Josh Simmons is back, but what’s it going to look like today on Locked On Chiefs from the land of the free and the home of the Chiefs. This is the Locked On Chiefs podcast. Welcome in Chiefs Kingdom. We’re brought to you today by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get uh $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. So get in there at FanDuel. You can use those bets across the app. So very excited there. Uh we’re excited as the the big milestone of the midseason has come and gone. The the trade deadline is passed. We’re going to break it down here for you today as well as a couple of other topics with Matt Derek. Chiefsdigest.com, editor-inchief, man on the beat, and the guy that runs 41 is the mic, the podcast. Check him out on all his outlets. I’m Ryan Tracy, the founder of Rogue Analytics and Performance Consulting, as well as NFL 33, where you can see my trade grades and all the BS that I think went into it, as well as some other things over at RGR Football. Don’t miss that. We’re going to have fun. We will discuss the trade deadline, what did and didn’t happen coming up a little bit later in the show. And before we get there, we are also going to hit the goals for the second half of the season for the Kansas City Chiefs. But as we get ready to start this by week, uh we’re gonna talk about what caught me a little bit by surprise, Matt, I thought generally uh with the mystery that’s been surrounding Josh Simmons this uh this last what five weeks to have him show up and be back in the building on the day that they’re going away for the by-week. I would I it took me a little back, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought, okay, well, if you need acclamation time, you need one-on-one work, or you need to just get back on the flow of things, it does make sense so that next week he’s ready to jump back into the mix. Did it surprise you? How do you feel about the process? I mean, it wasn’t a tremendous surprise because the Chiefs seemed to be hoping that this was the at least the time frame that Josh Simmons would be back, whether it was during the buy week or next week. But sometime in this this frame after the Bills game that it it it seemed like that was the time that the Chiefs were hoping that Josh Simmons would be back. Um nobody would put their name next to that. So, you know, you I think you saw just a lot of uh hinting behind the scenes that that this is where the Chiefs were going with it. And you’re right. I mean, from an acclamation standpoint, you know, this is a fine time for Josh Simmons to return. It’s an empty building. He might be one of the only players in the building. Um there’s still going to be people around who can help him work out, do instruction. You know, certainly, yes, a lot of the coaches and you know, and front office folks are taking some time off, not the whole week. Um players will have more time off than the coaches do. Uh they might just get a couple of days off to take a breather, uh jump out of town, maybe, you know, head somewhere, but get back pretty quickly because Chase will start to hit the ground this weekend as far as getting ready. So, you know, it’s that’s we talk about the by-week and yes, it’s a rest for the players. It’s not the entire week. Uh they will kind of usually usually the Chiefs coming back off a buy, you know, Saturday and it’s kind of their their first day when they really start to trickle back in. So, uh it’s a good time for Josh Simmons just get acclimated, be a quiet setting, come in, get some work done, and then, you know, we’ll see next Wednesday when they hit the practice field, you know, kind of where he’s at and if he’s ready to step back into the lineup. I hope that that he is. that we don’t know the nature of what’s been going on, but we know it can be taxing, dealing with family issues, etc., etc. My expectation is that physically this protects him from hitting that rookie wall or or getting to the point where playoff games are are now, you know, 17, 18, 19 games into the season. So, from that standpoint, I like the idea of fresh legs. And certainly if not to this point, at least from this point forward for the next week, he’s got plenty of time to go over film to see how teams were not only attacking him, but attacking Jaylen Moore as he stepped in for him. I kind of have the expectation that all those things aligning is that he’s probably going to be able to jump back into the lineup at left tackle and depending on what happens with Jawan Taylor that I kind of expect Jay Moore to go over to the other side. How do you feel about it? Yeah, that that’s going to be the kind of the big question now because with Jawan Taylor coming out of the game with the ankle issue the other night, that’s something that had he’d been dealing with before. So whether this is a new addition or exacerbation of what happened before, we’re probably not going to get a really good idea maybe until next Wednesday. You know, we’ll hear from Andy Reid on Monday. And uh but Andy Reid’s infamous even for coming off a byee for saying, “Hey, the guys are still trickling in. doesn’t really know where where where Jawan Taylor is physically. Um, so it might not be until next Wednesday when we really find out. But yeah, I mean the Chiefs have that option. I mean, if Josh Emmens is back and ready to play, if Jawan Taylor is not, Jaylen Moore can flip over to right tackle and and you can roll. I mean, but if obviously if the Chiefs uh don’t have that option, you know, they’re pretty thin at tackle. I mean, they had one who stepped in the other night, but really the only other guy that they’ve got that has significant tackle experience is is Chu Godri off the practice squad. So, it’s it’s a little thin there. I mean, if they if they’ve got a couple of guys that they’re just not sure what about going into that Denver game. I think that’s the question, too. And that may be a factor. Jawan’s health may be a factor in what Josh does. Uh but the other question mark along the offensive line, uh Trace Smith back, I expect given everything that we’ve heard to this point that the extra rest of the by-week should be enough to probably alleviate a lot of the concern there. Are you hearing anything else or do you have concerns yourself? Um not a ton of not a ton of concerns because it certainly seemed that you know for the most part other than the handful of you know issues that that kind of known about the Chiefs, there was nothing new significant that came out of Sunday’s game. Um, the week should absolutely help. A lot of guys getting back healthwise. So, for the second half of the season, I mean, I think the Chiefs are just about as good a shape as they can be. I I hope that that’s the way that it works out. They they need something. Um, Isaiah Pacheco, they need some of the defense to kind of sort itself back out. and the way that that Josh jumps in. I I come back to this again and again in that the way that he has dealt with the season. Obviously, we have this mystery here in the middle, but getting put into the starting lineup after a horrific injury last year, uh his his last year in college and being able to make that that adjustment and get into the lineup and play well. They need his athleticism for the second half of the season. We’re going to talk about the second half of the season here coming up and what got harder today. But his athleticism is the number one thing for me that allows him to make that leap. And if not for that, am I putting too much on him to expect that, hey, they might be able to get right back to where he left off? Yeah, I I would be concerned about it. I mean, I think you have to be because, you know, whatever Josh has gone through and everything, which which we don’t know. I mean, and I will say once again, I mean, I don’t know what it has has been, uh, I know a lot of things that it’s not, and chances are that if you have read rumors on social media or message boards or anywhere else, that there’s a pretty good chance that the rumors you’ve heard are not true as well. I mean, it’s it’s the reality is is that it’s probably something fairly mundane. uh but something that’s personal and and private for the player and you know how that affects Josh’s psyche I don’t think anybody knows. I’m not even sure if the Chiefs know for sure. So that’s why I think that you know this next you know eight days really before the Chiefs get back to practice at least even you know four or five days before other players start trickling back in. I think it’s good from him from just a standpoint of getting to be getting comfortable back in the building again and kind of acclimating himself, you know, easing back in and not just having everything be a rush. Uh because I mean I I I I don’t know what Josh has gone through. I know I’ve been away from work because of surgery in the past for an extended period of time and when you come back it can be pretty overwhelming. So, I mean, NFL locker rooms and players and everything like that, not they’re different in some ways in normal workplaces and not so different in other ways. Uh, so I mean, and everybody deals with things differently. And I and I think that that’s be one of the concerns that the Chiefs have is just how do they manage to keep Josh in the best mind frame possible to keep him confident, to keep him steady. I don’t think they have any real concerns about him from a physical standpoint. It’s just, you know, how do they make sure to support him, that he’s comfortable, that he feels in a in the right place, and that he’s able to play his best football without having anything else on his mind? That’s going to be the key, and we’re going to see how he handles it. We’ll go inch by inch and step by step as he goes through there, but you you got to have a path to walk with those steps. And second half goals are key. A sweep should be one of them. I’m just going to put it out there. We’re going to talk about that and what they do next coming up next. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer you don’t want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just five bucks and you’re in business. You can get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. Pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you’ll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across their app. It’s super simple. And if you know your first one, it helps you get on a roll without a doubt. It makes watching football even more exciting when you’ve got a little something riding on the action. When you’re involved, it’s not just for the casual fandom. But if you love diving in to the stats, FanDuel makes that game day experience that much more. You got to get into it. So, what are you waiting for? Visit fanuel.com or download the FanDuel app today and get started. It’s at FanDuel. And folks, you can check out Matt’s work at chiefdigest.com. Chief’s Digest here on the YouTube platform as well as 41 is the mic. Matt, it’s good to have goals. They are important to set steps along the way of your path, especially if you’re chasing another championship. I had goals. Um I still kind of do. Things have changed. We’ll talk about that coming up. Absolutely. in one particular ball game, but when you look at this Denver twice, uh, Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, uh, the rematch with the Raiders and Tennessee, it could be difficult, but I don’t see a reason right now coming off the Bills performance where they again only gave up 21. Crazy to think that the the only team they’ve given up more than 21 points to was the Jacksonville Jaguars. I don’t get it. But my expectation is that the realm of possibility still includes running that table. Am I nuts? I mean, no. I don’t think you’re nuts because I’ve I’ve said all along, I mean, I feel like that the Chief’s toughest games this season have all been before the by-week. And Buffalo, the LA that last game, there is not a game on the Chief schedule that’s tougher than Buffalo. Uh, you can come at me with at Denver, you can come at with me with Colts at at Arrowhead. I don’t think either one of those games are any more difficult than the Buffalo game was. Uh, they’re challenges and they’re concerns because, you know, hey, the Chiefs have four losses on their on their on their resume and, you know, you have questions about some of them. I mean, the Buffalo at Buffalo Chiefs lose there every year. So, I don’t have a lot of questions about that. We can dissect that game and you could come away with reasons to either be optimistic or pessimistic. I think just depending on your mindset, but you look at the other games I’ve said all along. I mean, I have I don’t put any weight for the most part on anything that happens overseas, games that are outside of the the continental borders of the United States. Uh just crazy things happen. And once again, a a tight ball game that could have gone either way. Chiefs didn’t play particularly well and they probably were at a disadvantage in that game. I mean, they played the Super Bowl champs to a one-sore game. Again, you know, at home, you wish you would won that game, but the Chiefs were also short-handed in that game and weren’t really themselves yet. I still can’t play explain Jacksonville. I mean, if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, you’re going to look back at this and say, “How in the world did this team lose to Jacksonville?” Um, if they don’t win the Super Bowl, you’re going to say, “Of course this team did win the Super Bowl. They lost to Jacksonville, but you know, at five and four, you know, are the Chiefs hopelessly out of it? No. I mean, they’ve got some teams to climb over, but you know, the two teams that two of the three teams that are at seven and two, Indianapolis and Denver, you can take the tie breakers from them. Those are in front of you. So, that’s still doable. Um, yeah. I mean, if you end up in a situation where you’re battling for a wild card spot and it’s Buffalo and it’s Jacksonville and the Chargers are all there, you’re gonna be a little bit more concerned because right now you’ve you’ve you’ve lost a tiebreaker to two of those teams and one you can break back to even, but it’s still going to put you a tough spot. So if for the Chiefs, I mean, their number one goal for this season, the Well, let’s put it this way, the first goal for this season, winning the AFC West. Is that still there? Yeah. And it starts with winning the game at Denver because I do think that to win the AFC West, they’ve got to go 4-0 in their final four AFC West games. Uh second goal is to get the number one seed in the AFC. Is that still doable? Yeah, it’s doable. They’re going to have to have some luck if for no other reason than I talk about the Chief schedule being one where I mean they conceivably could go 8-0 the rest of the way. You know, seven and one doable, six and two, you get some questions. Five and three and now you’re probably crossing your fingers that you make the playoffs. But, you know, six and two or better should I mean, and honestly, I expect this team, if they don’t go 8-0 or seven and one the rest of the way, I I’ll think there’s there’s something else going on that this team has some flaws that it just has not fixed and addressed. But, you know, hey, if you do run the table, could you still get the one seed? Yeah. I mean, you’re going to have to have some help because a lot of the other teams have weak schedules, too. New England, uh, Indianapolis, Denver, they all have disappointing schedules. I mean, the Chiefs might are certainly the toughest game remaining on most of those teams. New England, I guess, is going to have it still at least a matchup with Buffalo. Um, but they also have Miami and New York, which are terrible, terrible teams. You know, they there are not two terrible teams. There’s only one terrible team in the AFC West, so that’s going to be a problem. I I don’t anticipate the winners of the the South, I mean, a winner of the North, rather, to to be involved in everything, but there’s still some teams that could climb into that. So, I mean, are the Chiefs two first two goals, are they still achievable? Yes. But it starts with a win at Denver. And if you don’t win that game, then you start to have some questions. Yeah, I won’t say panic mode, but yeah, the Denver game is the way it all has to start. Goal number one, win that ball game. Now, to do that, you have to be able to pressure the quarterback. Uh, they didn’t get anything done. We’re going to talk about trade deadline here coming up in a little bit, folks. But as it stands, the team that we saw against the Buffalo Bills, uh, particularly on the defensive line, is going to be the team going for it. That’s what it is. Can this team set a reasonable goal of changing their performance? Do you think that’s in the realm of possibility or are we going to be stuck floundering here with what we’ve seen in this up and down roller coaster from the defensive line? Yeah. And when you’re talking about the line in particular, I mean, you know, part of it is, hey, can you expect greater production from this front four? And that I think is a tricky question because I’m not sold that, you know, that there is a ton of hidden missing production in that front four. The better question is, you know, are are there solutions that Steve Spaggnolo and Joel Coen can come up with to help you compensate for maybe some of the deficiencies that they have in the front four? And that I think that the Chiefs can do. I mean, we’ve seen them do it before. Uh they can bliss more. They can they can commit more resources to the pass rush. It’s not ideal, but they can do it. And I expect that they probably are going to do that more in the second half. It’s something that they usually do more as the season grows on. And as many blitzes and looks that Steve Spagnolo has, I mean, again, you don’t want to throw them all out for no reason. I mean, you you want to you want to blitz with a purpose, and you want to show your unscouted looks with a purpose. And that’ll be true on the off offensive side of the ball, too. But I just feel like I think there’s untapped at least options because this team has a lot of options. They’ve got, you know, different linebackers with different skill sets. They have a secondary in particular that, you know, is just full of guys that can help you in pass rush that they can be used as part of blitz packages. And you know, and I’m not sure that I necessarily saw anything against the Bills that you would say, well, hey, you know, Steve Spagnolo was really just throwing the kitchen sink at him, right? there wasn’t that. And we know that that’s available. So, hey, I think they’re going to tap into it more and more, especially, you know, as these games get to the point where they need to they need wins every single week. So, I think you’re going to see them dial up the aggression. I think you’re going to see them dial up the creativity that maybe we just didn’t see in the first half of the season as much. Well, let’s hope that that’s part of it because I I do think that can be effective as well. They’re going to go to war with the same group of guys because they didn’t get anything done at the trade line, but they did make some efforts. We’re going to tell you about them here next. Nobody likes paying rent, but if you must, you might as well get something for it. That’s where Built comes in. Built is changing the game by turning your rent payment into real rewards that you can actually use. 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Uh, now the trade deadline has come and gone. The Chiefs did not make any acquisitions, but their fortunes have changed as a result of what happened today, Matt. Going into this second half, there was one game in particular that I was like, “Okay, I’m glad you’ve been able to win seven games, but you don’t scare me.” that changed today because for the Indianapolis Colts, there was one thing that I thought could hurt them, especially coming off of this Bills game because they have maybe the best young tight end in football that isn’t named Bowers. And so I knew going into the Indianapolis Colts game that that’s something that they’re going to have to focus on. But now they have a more well-rounded secondary. They can slow down the Chiefs offense a little bit more than they could yesterday. That is because a blockbuster trade. Chris Ballard was not afraid to pull out the ammunition here. two- ones to get Sgartner into a jersey for the Indianapolis Colts. Does that change your attitude about that game or this second half of the season? Yeah, I mean it does. It does certainly does a little bit. I mean that’s a great addition. Now, the one thing that you never know about additions and is is how is it going to affect the team? How is it going to affect the locker room? And you know, adding a corner I feel like is generally speaking it’s it’s it’s a lower risk proposition. I mean, we talk about, you know, Andy Reid’s offense being a hard thing to pick up. So, a skilled player, especially a wide receiver coming in. I mean, let’s face it, you know, DeHop last year was the most successful skill addition that the Chiefs have ever had under Andy Reid, and really Andy Reid has ever had as far as a mid-season addition, and that wasn’t too spectacular. I mean, that didn’t move the needle. Um, this one’s going to be easier, I think, to move the needle, but again, I mean, it’s going to see how does that affect the locker room. Is it a is it a good addition? Is it a neutral addition? Does it does it hurt things in the locker room? I don’t know anything enough about SAS Gardner to say that’s going to happen one way or the other, but you know, hey, it it it can affect things. Guys who are starting, all of a sudden some guy loses their job, everybody goes down a notch. I mean, you never know how those things are going to work out and if everybody’s going to mesh together and pick things up together. So, hey, it could blow up in their face. I don’t think it will. Um, it might not improve things as much as you think that it will, but it’s a it’s a real savvy addition. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. That’s got one of the best corners in the league. Uh, does it change things as far as, you know, what you think about Indianapolis? I mean, you know, they are 7-2. Um, I think they I think they got a little exposed by the Steelers over the weekend. Then let’s face it, I mean, I think the true reality about the Indianapolis Colts is that the other 52 players on the roster don’t matter as much as the one. It’s going to come down to Danny Dimes. It’s going to come down to Daniel Jones. And if he’s the guy that you’ve seen most of the season or if you’ve seen he’s the guy you’ve seen most of his career, you know, we don’t know. But I think that’s what the Chiefs are counting on is that they can win the matchup of Mahomes versus Daniel Jones and maybe their defense versus Daniel Jones rather than the Colts defense against Mahomes. Okay, fair enough. We had to point that out because it did directly affect the Chiefs, but it’s more today about what the Chiefs tried to do and weren’t successful at. Uh, a lot of big names moved around. Quinton Williams moved off that that Jets defense that they decided to just pick apart like a like a bad set of Legos. But at the end of the day, I don’t think you could have afforded uh Quin Williams. I think what they get a second and 26 and a first and 27. That’s a high price Brett Beach was never going to pay. But there were some players. One was a Jet that evidently uh as we understand reports that the Chiefs did make an attempt with a fourth round pick to try to pick up Bree Hall to add to that backfield, something the fans had been calling for for quite a long time and they just just weren’t willing to do it. Um, I I feel that this reinforces my my motto that you don’t spend top 100s on running backs no matter where they are. But regardless of of whether that’s true or not, the fact that they made an attempt, what does that tell you? Well, I mean, it does tell us what we all kind of suspected and know, which is that the Chiefs don’t have a ton of trust in their run game right now. And we also know, unfortunately, that opponents don’t fear the Chiefs run game right now. I mean, the Chiefs continue to see a lot of light boxes, teams daring them to run the football. And so far, Kansas City has not accepted the challenge. I mean, they they have not run with a real purpose this year. They’ve run in short yardage situations. They occasionally run the football. I feel like just because they feel like that they have to run the football, but they don’t seem to be doing it with a real plan. And a big part of that is that obviously they lack explosiveness. And hey, if the if that if the reality is is that they just do not feel that Brashard Smith is ready for that role or has that explosiveness that they need right now, if Elijah Mitchell lacks it, I mean, they probably should have gone out and solved that. So to your point, I mean, they probably would have had to give up a top 100 pick to get a running back and a rental running back at that because unless the Chiefs decided to sign Breeze Hall long term, which would be counterintuitive to what they usually do at the running back spot, putting a lot of money in that position, uh, which is usually a bad decision most of the time. What do you do? I mean, and I mean, I necessarily wouldn’t necessarily have been opposed to it because even if you let Breeze Hall walk at the end of the season, chance that you do get a comp pick back. So, it wouldn’t necessarily be straight up for a third. Maybe it would have been a third that you give to the Jets. Uh, you get something back. If the rumors are to be to believe and the Chiefs weren’t willing to go higher than a fourth, I understand that. And, you know, but yet I’ve also been told from inside the building, don’t believe everything you hear. and that there were a lot of bad rumors out there that, you know, weren’t necessarily true. So, um, you once again, you can probably apply that to any conversation that you want. Although, um, everybody else that there were rumors out there about, none of them seemed to be as specific and as had as much maybe fire around them as Breeze Hall. We talked about the Chiefs being interested in defensive line help too, but that was never really an indication that the Chiefs were, you know, were anywhere close to maybe getting a deal done. Maybe that was just more behind the scenes. But if you look at the players, Ryan, that did get moved, none of these defensive linemen that were moved were in a price range for the Chiefs. They were not acquiring any of them. you know, really question was is was it worth them to bring in somebody in the category like a Venardan Key or try to free Kas Campbell out of Arizona? But as we’ve seen, I mean, even the three and five teams think they’re still in the playoff hunt. So, you know, there was a very limited pool of teams that were willing to make trades and and that’s probably why if you didn’t get a Jet, you probably didn’t get anybody. You could have had a Dolphin or two as well, but I don’t know that you wanted them. the other river that I Why didn’t the Dolphins have a fire sale is the real question, right? I mean, who was taken, Mike? That’s the question is why is there still a head coach there today? I’m not I’m not certain of that that call. But that said, there could have been options. There are still a few now. So, to bolster this position group, what could you do? Well, you could actually give Shard Smith the ball if you don’t have confidence in that and you don’t have confidence in Elijah Mitchell, which I still don’t understand how he’s on this roster after what we saw this last week. Uh, is a practice squad addition in something you’d be interested in. There’s a there’s a guy in Washington on their practice squad that I do like as kind of a home run hitter possibility in Donovan Edwards. There are others around the league that can be had. Is it worth going? Martinez, Edwards, anybody that that lights up your candle here. Yeah, I mean, I would be very hesitant about going with anybody young because again, you know, the Chiefs, I think, feel like they kind of learned their lesson last year with Joshua Uch. And maybe it was the wrong lesson because I still feel like Uch was square peg in a round hole. He just wasn’t a Steve Specto defensive lineman. But the the lesson that they took away from that trade was that hey, Spags’ defense and Cullen’s line coaching are complex and that a mid-season addition that’s inexperienced and young is not necessarily and somebody maybe somebody with a high football IQ too isn’t necessarily somebody who going to be going to come in and make an impact. That’s why I think that, you know, if you’re if you’re going to bring somebody in there, it’s got to be somebody who either has experience with a a similar system, uh, someone who’s played in the system before for Spagnolo or for Colin, um, or somebody who just has a ton of experience. That’s why I still say, hey, if the if the Cardinals get down the road, maybe Kus Campbell’s going to say, hey, will you put me on waivers so I can go to a playoff team? Uh, that’s what happened with Terrell Suggs. That’s how the Chiefs ended up with him. So, you know, let’s see what happens. I mean, I still think that um a waiver addition of a veteran down the road is probably more likely than signing a young guy off a practice squad. U but you never know. I mean, and especially if the Chiefs get some injuries because while they do have some depth, they brought Malik Herring back onto the practice squad on Tuesday, so at least they’ve got some once again some depth familiar with their system, but that’s not explosive. That’s not anything that’s going to add production. And at this point, the only thing that I think that they’re relying on adding production is out scheming and executing other teams. Well, we’re going to have to see if they can pull that off. If you guys want more information, I’m going to be here the rest of the week. Chris is on vacation. Matt is going to join us next week as we go through, but Matt, thanks for today and giving us a dose of reality as uh I try not to let my runaway dreams get run away with. Well, you know, you’d love to get something on the trade deadline. talk about, but not this year. I’ll still talk about it. It don’t matter. Folks, check out Chiefs Digest. Go see my reaction to the other trades at NFL 33. You do got to get signed up, but we’re looking for more fans. So, come on over and hit RGR football. We appreciate you. Make sure that you like and sub and do all the things here. Thanks for being every day with us today. You can get it all by subscribing and we will be back tomorrow. I’ll talk to you then.

Kansas City Chiefs stand at 5-4 after the bye week with Josh Simmons returning and the trade deadline passing without major additions. Can Andy Reid’s squad still capture the AFC West title and the number one seed?

Ryan Tracy and Matt Derrick break down the Chiefs’ offensive line configuration with Simmons back from his five-week absence, analyze why the team couldn’t land Jets running back Bree Hall despite offering a fourth-round pick, and examine how the Indianapolis Colts’ blockbuster acquisition of Sauce Gardner reshapes the AFC playoff picture. The discussion covers Steve Spagnolo’s defensive adjustments needed to compensate for pass rush deficiencies, Patrick Mahomes’ path through a favorable remaining schedule, and whether the Jacksonville loss will define this season.

Key topics include the Chiefs’ must-win Denver matchup, potential practice squad additions at running back, and why veteran waiver pickups might be more valuable than young talent for Kansas City’s complex defensive scheme.

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🎞️ Chiefs Breakdowns at RGR Football – [http://bit.ly/RGRF-Chiefs](http://bit.ly/RGRF-Chiefs)
🔥 ChiefsKingdom Gear 👉🏼 [https://teespring.com/stores/rgr-store](https://teespring.com/stores/rgr-store)
📝 Chiefs Corner Site – [https://chiefscorner.substack.com/](https://chiefscorner.substack.com/)
🧧 Connect: @RyanTracyNFL | @LockedOnChiefs | @ChiefsCorner
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