Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid had his weekly Monday morning press conference post their game on Sunday. The Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders this past weekend and moved to a perfect 7-0 this season, remaining the last unbeaten team in the NFL and avenging their last game loss which came at the end of the Raiders on Christmas Day a season ago.
In Reid’s morning presser, he spoke about how the Kansas City Chiefs looked overall in their performance against the Raiders on Sunday along with areas of improvements he would like to see across the board, and also touched on the newest addition to the team in Josh Uche. His comments from this week’s presser, although brief, touched upon all areas of the team and their plan and focus for the remainder of the season.
Kansas City Chiefs Running Game Moving Forward
With the Chiefs’ reunion with Kareem Hunt also came a new spark in their run game, after their lead Running Back Isiah Pacheco went down with a fracture in his leg back in week two. The Kansas City Chiefs had to find an answer at the position, and they were able to with against Hunt who had played in four games this season for the Chiefs. However, with no kind of offseason training program with any NFL team or preseason in recent weeks Hunt has had fewer yards per carry and broken tackles than he did in his first few games.
Reid commented on this saying, “He didn’t have training camp, so I see it like it’s the third day of training camp for him.” Reid remained optimistic about Hunt, adding, “He’ll start picking it up as we go; he’s had good work so far.”
Hunt’s best yard per carry came in his first game against the Los Angeles Chargers when he finished with a 4.9 rate, then it went down to 3.8 in his next game, but he had his first 100-yard rushing game. His first since his rookie year back in 2018 on the Kansas City Chiefs the first time around. Although he is slowing down a bit, it’s also likely his body is simply adjusting to not having any kind of preseason work or any kind before being thrown directly into an NFL season. Reid believes this to be more likely and as the season progresses Hunt’s averages will return to what they were in his first two games along with his production.
Offensive Outlook With DeAndre Hopkins Addition
DeAndre Hopkins played in his first game as a Kansas City Chief on Sunday against the Raiders. Hopkins saw 23 snaps on Sunday, finishing with two receptions for 29 yards, although not having the most eye-popping stats. Reid still praised his performance in his limited snaps saying, “I thought he looked good out there.”
Hopkins was added to the Kansas City Chiefs last week from the Titans and the veteran has shown the ability to quickly integrate to a complicated offensive system in Kansas City. “He did a nice job in the passing game,” Reid said. Hopkins came down with a timely third-down catch and although he did not have a ton of receptions, simply being out there and being in the right spots shows the coaching staff along with Patrick Mahomes that moving forward he is someone who can be trusted. This will only result in him seeing more playing time which will help the offense as a whole.
With the Kansas City Chiefs currently being down multiple key receivers, Hopkins has joined the team at a perfect time, and as the season progresses he will only become more involved with the offensive game plan. “He’s a good football player, and fitting in more will only help as we move forward,” Reid said. For rookie Wide Receiver Xavier Worthy to have the chance to play alongside Hopkins will be a major in his development. Additionally playing alongside Travis Kelce and the other receiving options will only make their jobs easier moving forward which is what this offense needs right now after a slow start to the 2024 season.
Defensive Front Performance and Recent Acquisition
Reid also spoke on the defensive front seven’s performance in the team’s win over the Raiders. They were able to record a season-high five sacks and have continued to be the driving force behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ success so far this season. “That helps the secondary; any pressure you can put on the quarterback is huge,” Reid said. With the Chiefs losing their starting Cornerback Jaylen Watson potentially for the rest of the season and their Safety Nazee Johnson suffering a concussion in this past game, the front seven will need to keep up this level of play. It will only make their secondary perform at a higher level with their coverage duties.
Now with the addition of Josh Uche from the Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs have added another speedy edge rusher to their formidable defensive front. “[Uche] will add to what we’re doing up front,” Reid said, confident that Uche’s skills will add to an already strong defensive front. Similarly, with Hopkins making an immediate impact, a similar result is likely to be seen from Uche, especially with Steve Spagnoulo leading the defensive room. It is likely he will have special packages just for him to get on the field in the Kansas City Chiefs upcoming game.
Reid also commended Chris Jones’ dominant play so far this season, although Jones doesn’t have the stats that jump off the page, his impact on the field speaks for itself and the results behind them do as well. “Chris Jones not only did it in the passing game but also in the run game, making tackles behind the line of scrimmage,” Reid said. Speaking to his ability to be a consistent disruptor in opposing offenses’ backfield and with the recent addition of Uche. This reality will only become clearer for teams to have to face because if it’s not Jones back there it will open up more opportunities for it to be his teammates.
Chiefs Left Tackle Concerns
The last topic Reid touched on was the left tackle position which has been a rollercoaster so far this season for the Kansas City Chiefs. During a 16-play stretch against the Raiders, Wanya Morris who got the start at left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs was called for back-to-back holding calls which completely ended any offensive rhythm the Kansas Chiefs had and the drive ended in a turnover. Reid affirmed that these mistakes impacted the Chiefs’ offensive flow, saying, “We had too many penalties there, so we need to work on that.”
Reid added to his comments by acknowledging that these mistakes can’t continue to happen but placed his focus mainly on youth being the reason for them happening. “We’re young and growing, so we gotta just keep bearing down there,” he said. One thing about Reid is that no matter what he will always back his players, and he has shown no sign to bench Morris but instead will continue working through these issues with him.
However, fans are not willing to be so forgiving, as many want Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach to make another move to add a new left tackle to the team. However, Reid remains steadfast at keeping his focus completely on Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia, in both improving their technique which will hopefully lead to a reduction in all of the penalties that have inflicted several Kansas City Chiefs offensive drives. This is something to pay attention to as the Kansas City Chiefs continue with the rest of their season.
Final Thoughts
Andy Reid’s press conference today touched on player performances so far this season along with the team outlook moving forward. Reid understands the team is currently in a favorable position as they sit at 7-0 and have just added another piece to an already stout defensive room, but one thing Reid and Veach do not want to do is become complacent.
Reid made it clear in this presser that although he is proud of the guys showing on Sunday, there is still room for improvement, especially for a team that is looking to do something that has never been done before. Now the team has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers up next who they will face on Monday Night Football at home on November 4.
In the meantime, they will allow players like Kareem Hunt and others to rest up after another hard-fought win and get others acclimated to their new team or with what will be expected of them moving forward while they turn their focus on what lies ahead for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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