KANSAS CITY Dorian O'Daniel Jersey , Mo. — Tyreek Hill walked off the field holding his wrist Sunday and Kansas City Chiefs fans held their collective breath, only to exhale when their star wide receiver checked back into the game.They held it again when Hill hobbled to the sideline with a foot injury.But in a back-and-forth game with significant playoff ramifications, there was no way Hill was going to stay there.He limped back into the game in time to catch Patrick Mahomes‘ 40-yard heave on fourth-and-long to keep the Chiefs alive, then caught three more passes in overtime — all for first downs — to set the Chiefs up for the eventual winning field goal against Baltimore.“He’s a fighter,” Mahomes said afterward. “He was hobbled, but you’ve seen this whole season that it’s not just speed now. It’s his route-running, and he knows how to get himself open without speed.”Oh, the speed is still there. Even after the pain in his foot briefly sent him to the sideline, Hill was still the fastest player on the field the moment he stepped back on it.But in addition to his toughness, he also showed how well-rounded he’s become this season.The deep throw from Mahomes was in some ways a wing-and-a-prayer, the kind of ball you throw when you run out of better options. Hill acted like a center fielder as he came back to the ball, tracking it all the way into his hands while a pair of Ravens tried to break it up.“He’s still fast as all get-out,” Mahomes said, “but just being able to get himself open whenever he is a little bit more limited in that situation, it’s a special thing.” Hill finished the game with eight catches for 139 yards http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authent … adi-jersey , his fifth 100-yard receiving game this season. He now has 1,258 yards to match Tony Gonzalez for the fourth-best single season in franchise history, and he needs just 134 yards to pass Derrick Alexander for the record.That could come as early as Thursday night, when the Chiefs (11-2) try to clinch the AFC West and a first-round playoff bye against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.“This kid never complains about anything and he practices hard every day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He was banged up a little bit (against Baltimore) and he worked his way through it, came back and made some big plays for us. You love his attitude. He’s another one that is unique.”His attitude may have been the biggest question surrounding Hill coming out of college.He was kicked off the team at Oklahoma State after pleading guilty to domestic assault of his then-pregnant girlfriend. He wound up finishing his college career at West Alabama, and went through counseling and other requirements that convinced the Chiefs to give him a chance.Hill has rewarded them for it, becoming not only one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, but doing so with a positive attitude that has endeared him to many skeptical fans.“Just making plays for the team,” he said with a shrug.Hill also shrugged off any notion that he would have remained out of the game against Baltimore, and he left no doubt that he would be ready for the Chargers. The wrist injury was minor, and the foot was something he was able to play through, and there wasn’t a whole lot more to say.“I was always taught, no matter the circumstances, these are my brothers Womens Kendall Fuller Jersey ,” he said, “and they would do the same thing for me.”Notes: OL Cam Erving (knee), WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and RB Spencer Ware (hamstring) did not practice Tuesday. … Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton declined to confirm whether safety Eric Berry would make his season debut Thursday night, but he did sound as if it’s possible. “A lot of times a guy that has missed a lot of time, you have to be careful,” he said. “They don’t usually want to come out.” … Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said it’s likely WR Kelvin Benjamin would make his Chiefs debut after signing late last week. “We’re bringing him along slowly,” Bieniemy said, “but we want him to see the entire package and understand the entire package.” Two Kansas City Chiefs rookies (and if you’re a fan of the Chiefs, you know them well) combined for 11 offensive snaps against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.And the fact that they made their presence known with such little opportunity may say something about how much Kansas City ought to be using them.WR Mecole Hardman (9 snaps vs. GB)In nine snaps against the Packers, Hardman accumulated two catches for 55 yards, including a 30-yard score on a jet sweep.Hardman’s flash of speed in the league’s national spotlight has fans this week talking about the nickname “Jet” for the rookie. Hardman likes it so much, he even hinted at a potential new touchdown dance. When asked if the Chiefs need to get Hardman some more plays on Thursday, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy did not shy away.“Well, I’ll say this — yes,” said Bieniemy. “When a player can come in and not play as many snaps Anthony Hitchens Jersey , you always feel that yes, you need to get them going in some type of way. But we have a unique skill set of players, so it’s hard trying to say, ‘Hey. Let’s get them all out here. We’re going to get everybody 1,000 plays and everybody’s going to be successful.’ One thing we do understand is the importance of being a team. “We do understand the importance of being a band of brothers that are all on the same journey together that’s trying to accomplish a goal. So when your number is called, let’s make sure we maximize that opportunity and make the most of it.” RB Darwin Thompson (2 snaps vs. GB)As it turned out, the Chiefs wanted to get Thompson more plays against the Packers. But he has had trouble seeing the field with three backs ahead of him on the depth chart.Chiefs RB snap breakdown vs. Green BayDamien Williams (25 snaps)LeSean McCoy (23 snaps)Darrel Willians (9 snaps)Darwin Thompson (2 snaps)“Right now it’s just a numbers game for him,” said Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough. “Last week, the plan was to get him more involved. I think with the number of plays we had, we did have some packages for him, but we just didn’t get an opportunity to get to [them]. But if you watch Darwin in practice, we’ve got to get that guy out there. I’m telling you this guy is fast, he’s explosive. He’s racking up some numbers against our defense as far as what he’s doing on scout team and again, he’s keeping a great attitude. We’re going to continue to work on getting him some snaps in the game.”Of Thompson’s two plays, he had one catch in the flat http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authent … nne-jersey , but he was quickly tackled. On his other play, he motioned to the left, to the right, then wound up dealing a key pass block in a second-quarter third-down conversion to wide receiver Sammy Watkins.“That’s just what he does,” added McCullough. “He’s a guy who definitely — you look at his stature and his build and the tone of his body, he’s somebody who was made for contact. He’s also very fast; he’s very smart, too. He’s going to take advantage of the opportunities he had out there, and if his opportunity was to block on that particular play, he wanted to make sure, ‘Hey, when I was out here, I was a productive player.’”
efs rookies (and if you’re a fan of the Chiefs, you
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