Chiefs vs. Patriots: Eric Berry is full participant in practice
By Jalon Dodson
The Kansas City Chiefs practiced for the first time ahead of its AFC Championship matchup against the New England Patriots.
The Kansas City Chiefs practiced for the first time this week ahead of its AFC Championship matchup versus the New England Patriots. The Chiefs are about to play the most important game of the season, and they will hopefully be doing it with the likes of Eric Berry, Sammy Watkins, and Spencer Ware.
After activating right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the club had to release a player. The Chiefs ended up releasing veteran safety Ron Parker who had played a little below average during his second stint with Kansas City.
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Berry has not played for the Chiefs since Week 16 when the club played the Seattle Seahawks. There was some hope of the star safety playing against the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round of the 2018 NFL Playoffs after he was a limited participant on the first practice of the divisional week. That hope quickly diminished, however, as Berry had been a nonparticipant for the rest of the practices. The defense held strong against the Colts without Berry, especially with safety Jordan Lucas starting to impress more and more as he sees increased playing time. While there is no guarantee Berry will play this week, he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday—a very good sign, at least.
Other big names practicing for the Chiefs are running back Spencer Ware and wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Since being sidelined, Ware has watched his starter’s reps fade yet again as running back Damien Williams has impressed since taking over. While it is unclear if Ware will play, it is possible that even if he does, Williams will likely remain the starter. Even still, the one-two punch should prove to be effective against the Patriots.
Watkins, who played in the Divisional Round against the Colts, had not played before that since Week 11. He came back in a dominant fashion, showing no signs of slowing down in the slightest. With 6 receptions and 62 receiving yards, he stepped up and opened lanes for fellow wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. His participation in the AFC Championship will be crucial to assuring a Chiefs win.
The lone nonparticipant for Wednesday’s practice was rookie inside linebacker Dorian O’Daniel. After not practicing all of last week and subsequently being sidelined against the Colts, O’Daniel looks to be on the same track yet again. He has stepped up considerably toward the latter half of the season and has performed nicely as a coverage linebacker. In his absence, it’s likely undrafted rookie Ben Niemann will see increased playing time.
The injury report had just one name for the Patriots. The lone Patriot participant was defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. (ankle), who was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.