How Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury will impact the Chiefs

A closer look at the impact of Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury for the player and the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading home from New Orleans with a win over the Saints yesterday, but it came at a price after running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered an apparent injury that could have huge ramifications for the Chiefs rookie.

Edwards-Helaire landed awkwardly during a tackle late in the fourth quarter, doing the splits as he was brought down by three Saints defenders. He discomfort was visible almost immediately, and he was later helped off the field by trainers.

The exact nature and seriousness of the injury is still unknown, but head coach Andy Reid said after the game that x-rays came back negative, per Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. On Monday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided a potential timeline for the return of Edwards-Helaire saying, “The early expectation is CEH is done for the regular season with a chance to return for the playoffs, source said.”

Edwards-Helaire’s injury, and the hope of his return to the field, highlights the significance of securing a first-round bye and makes it even more important for Kansas City to clinch the AFC’s top spot. With only the top seed from each conference receiving the extra week off this season, the Chiefs will be even more intent on securing the bye to allow as much time as possible for Edwards-Helaire to recover and, hopefully, return to the field. Kansas City is currently one game clear of Pittsburgh atop the AFC, with the Chiefs also holding the tiebreaker advantage over the Steelers.

Edwards-Helaire’s injury also highlights a significant move made by the Chiefs earlier this season: the signing of Le’Veon Bell. While the loss of Edwards-Helaire will no doubt be a blow to the Kansas City offense—he is the Chiefs’ leading rusher this season with 724 yards on 167 carries and 4 rushing touchdowns—the Chiefs have a high-caliber replacement in Bell.

Bell had 62 rushing yards on 15 carries (4.1 avg) against the Saints, both highs during his time with the Chiefs, as well as a 12-yard touchdown after receiving a lateral from Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter. The addition of Bell provided depth at a crucial position for Kansas City, an insurance plan that has now been cashed in.

Edwards-Helaire has started almost every game for Kansas City this season, but the one game he missed (due to illness), against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, gives us some insight into how the Chiefs might look without him. On that day the running back load was shared between Bell and Darrel Williams, with the former taking a majority of snaps on offense (52 percent for Bell, 48 percent for Williams). Bell also had more carries (11) than Williams (6), as well as two receptions to Williams’ one.

Overall, since joining the Chiefs, Bell has replaced Williams as RB2 and has seen more of the ball, despite playing in fewer games. Bell has 224 yards on 56 carries (4.0 avg) and two touchdowns compared to Williams’ 123 yards on 29 carries (4.2 avg) and one touchdown.

Going forward, based on these numbers, we can expect Bell to justifiably receive more of the workload, while Williams will likely still play a significant role. Darwin Thompson is listed as the Chiefs’ fourth RB option, but he has not had a single snap on offense since Week 8 against the New York Jets.

Edwards-Helaire’s injury is undoubtedly a huge loss for Kansas City, and Chiefs fans will no doubt be waiting with bated breath until the extent of the injury is confirmed. But this situation was not unforeseeable, and it was one the Chiefs had even prepared for. Bell has slowly been growing as part of the Chiefs’ offense in recent weeks, but now is his time to step up and help drive Kansas City to the playoffs.

The Chiefs will host the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers in the last two weeks of the season as they look to secure the AFC’s number one seed heading into the playoffs.