The Kansas City Chiefs defense turned in an impressive effort on Sunday in an 18-point win over the Washington Football Team, but they might be getting some important reinforcements if the team’s latest injury update offers any real hope.
According to head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs are getting both pass rusher Chris Jones and cornerback Charvarius Ward back at practice in Week 7. That would give the team who more starters returning for the team’s upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans, a team that just beat the Buffalo Bills in a battle for AFC playoff positioning.
Jones has been injured for the last month, although he’s played a couple games with the same wrist injury that eventually forced him out of both Week 5 and Week 6. If he’s able to come to the table and play in Week 7, that’s a sign that the rest he received did the trick—or at least that it’s getting better enough that he can play through the injury and that it won’t get any worse if treated correctly.
As for Ward, the Chiefs have struggled at times in the secondary without him given that he’s been out for the last month. A quad injury has been the culprit here, although Ward has been able to practice in weeks past. Unfortunately he’s been unable to make it work on game days ever since he suffered the injury before Week 3.
If Ward is ready to go in his normal role as a boundary corner, it will mean shifting around everyone from Rashad Fenton to L’Jarius Sneed in a week where Fenton looked strong outside. However this is a good problem for the Chiefs defense to have at this point after struggling for the first several weeks.
The Chiefs visit the Titans on Sunday, October 24, at 12:00 p.m. C.T.