KC Chiefs vs. Browns: Underrated storylines heading into Week 1
By Matt Conner
![FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 03: Chase McLaughlin #3 of the New York Jets celebrates a PAT against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 3, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images) FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 03: Chase McLaughlin #3 of the New York Jets celebrates a PAT against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 3, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9930a0466371fb64616ff7565a8cc1b921bf1a9cf7331e203e935effdc189800.jpg)
Backfield health concerns
Let’s say this up front: Andy Reid stated that he thinks the Chiefs will be okay when it comes to a pair of injuries in the offensive backfield for both Darrel Williams and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid said today that RBs Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) and Darrell Williams (concussion) are expected to play in Sunday’s opener vs. the Browns. “It looked like they’re moving around pretty good,” Reid said. “I think we’ll be okay there.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2021
Williams has been sitting out a lot of practice this preseason in the team’s concussion protocol. Edwards-Helaire missed practice time as well with a hamstring injury, and it’s put a halt to some of the momentum he had heading into a season filled with promise behind a new offensive line ready to run the ball more.
That’s not to say that Edwards-Helaire and Williams won’t be dynamic out of the gate as the team’s one-two tandem atop the depth chart. If Reid says they are good, then maybe there’s no storyline here to follow at all. However, both players have missed time recently and soft tissue injuries (like a hamstring) can linger.
If something goes awry and one of the two needs more time than expected, it’s going to turn into the Jerick McKinnon show, which is not something we thought we’d say before Week 1. Still the Chiefs have a vast array of weapons available to them and even McKinnon is likely to put up fantasy star numbers if given major reps. Just something to watch in a loaded opening week.
Next. The greatest Chiefs who never won a Super Bowl. dark