The Kansas City Chiefs were gifted a first-round bye from the Miami Dolphins. Who stands to benefit most on the team?
“Hail to the Dolphins!”
Andy Reid spoke for all Kansas City Chiefs fans at his press conference on Sunday after the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots to lock up the AFC’s No. 2 seed for the Chiefs. With the two seed comes some presents: a home game in the divisional round and a bye week.
There is a ton of debate about whether or not the bye week really helps a team that much, with many people talking about “momentum” but the numbers do not lie. Teams with a bye week go to the Super Bowl almost 80% of the time, using those 14 days to not only put together a solid game plan but to also rest and get players off the injury report.
For the Chiefs, those extra 7 days look awfully nice, with many players dealing with nagging injuries and/or illnesses. Who specifically would the bye week help the most? Who would be able to capitalize most on an extra 7 days of rest? Let’s take a look.
4. Juan Thornhill
Juan Thornhill barely made the list yet he also should have been higher. The reason? It may not matter.
Thornhill’s knee injury came in K.C.’s Week 17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The rookie safety initially went down with a non-contact injury that looked serious on the field. He needed help moving off the field and the Chiefs quickly downgraded him from “questionable to return” to “out” for the game.
Despite everything, head coach Andy Reid seemed oddly optimistic during his post game press conference, Not willing to call Thornhill’s season over. It almost felt as if Andy Reid knew something that nobody else did.
If, by another Christmas miracle, Juan Thornhill only suffered a minor injury and the team just played it extremely safe with him, this bye week is going to be a huge blessing. Getting Juan Thornhill back to 100% and helping maintain the best safety duo in the league will help the Chiefs continue defensive success in the playoffs.
But if Juan Thornhill does have a serious injury and can not play through the playoffs, then this week will help another player for a completely different reason.
3. Thornhill’s Replacement
With the latest word showing that Thornhill is likely to miss the entire postseason, this becomes a major factor for the Chiefs defense. Thornhill plays a very specific yet important role in Steve Spagnoulo’s defense.
The Chiefs are likely going to stick with internal options to replace Thornhill with Armani Watts earning the majority of snaps in his absence. Watts is not the same player, but he did look sharp on a couple plays. Daniel Sorensen is also around, although the skill set isn’t nearly the same and Spagnuolo has other uses for Sorensen.
It’s also possible that the Chiefs continue to experiment with cornerback Kendall Fuller‘s versatility in the wake of Thornhill’s injury. The Chiefs have been using their slot corner as a safety in recent weeks, in much the same way that starting safety Tyrann Mathieu can quickly convert into a slot corner and back again.
With Fuller’s versatility to switch with Mathieu at times, offenses have to continually guess at the defense’s intentions. Unfortunately Thornhill’s role as free safety is a different matter and could alter what the Chiefs can do at the line. But if Fuller is available to help in a new way and help cover some of these deficiencies, he might be a better option than Watts.
It’s also entirely possible the Chiefs look outside the organization for help with a free agent signing if Thornhill is placed on injured reserve. T.J. McDonald is only 28 coming off a decent year with the Dolphins, George Iloka is a bit older and had a much worse 2018 but is still an experienced player with 7 seasons under his belt. Then again, the Chiefs could turn to a familiar face.
Eric Berry remains unsigned despite early reports that Dallas had intentions to sign him. Yes, Eric Berry has a history of letting nagging injuries stick around and keep him sidelined. Berry also had an underwhelming 2018 season in the Bob Sutton defense. But this is not the Sutton defense anymore is it? Players from all over the 2018′ defense have shined in 2019 under new management, whether it be the Chiefs or elsewhere, and who is to say that Berry could not have the same result?
If nothing else, the Chiefs can activate Alex Brown as a final defensive back and rely on him and Jordan Lucas more than ever before.
None of these options are exciting. The Chiefs are clearly going to miss Thornhill for the duration of the postseason, but a first-round bye gives them time to formulate a better plan rather than reacting only as quickly as they can turn around and play again.
2. Andrew Wylie
The Chiefs have been without Andrew Wylie for the last two weeks due to an ankle injury, which means the line has once again been dealing with absences along the offensive front for most of the season in some form or another.
Wylie was inactive this week in practice, but he could be ready to roll once again at left guard if given the next week to rest and heal.
Stefen Wisniewski has played well in his absence and it’s nice to know that the Chiefs have tested depth along the line in a couple key spots. That said, anyone will tell you they want their team to have the best starting five possible and the Chiefs coaching staff has made it clear they prefer Wylie is one of those players.
Wylie already missed one stretch of games this year, from Week 6 against the Houston Texans to Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings, due to injury. Here’s hoping this current streak only runs the last two games of the season.
1. Bashaud Breeland and Morris Claiborne
Bashaud Breeland is having himself a year.
He stopped Tom Brady from tying the game. He went 101 yards on a fumble return in Detroit. He picked up 2 interceptions and 8 pass breakups. For a player that is often overlooked in favor for Charvarius Ward and Tyrann Mathieu, Breeland is quietly having himself a breakout season.
Over the last week or so, Breeland has been dealing with a sore shoulder as well as an undisclosed illness. He reportedly left the game on Sunday after a rough exchange with Melvin Gordon. A week of isolation and rest can help him beat his sickness and, with the expertise of the Chiefs’ medical staff, deal with his shoulder injury.
As for Morris Claiborne, his veteran presence is a welcome addition to the defense, helping mold the young guys at defensive back into the standout players they can be and supplying some additional talent to rotate into the secondary.
Claiborne has been dealing with a shoulder injury since the bye week. A week of rest should help Claiborne get back to playing when it matters most.