KANSAS
CITY
Chad Henne
Jersey , Mo. ?The Kansas City Chiefs went into their regular-season
finale with a lot riding on the outcome.Beat the Raiders and they would have
their third consecutive AFC West championship and the No. 1 seed in the
playoffs, not to mention home-field advantage throughout. Lose to their longtime
division rivals and risk falling to the No. 5 seed as a wild-card team with a
much more difficult road to Atlanta.But the biggest takeaway from the Chiefs¡¯
victory over Oakland last Sunday was this: That top seed in the AFC means a
first-round bye, and a much-needed opportunity to get some big stars
healthy.Star safety Eric Berry had a recurrence last week of the heel pain that
kept him out most of the season, sidelining him against the Raiders. Wide
receiver Sammy Watkins remained out with a foot injury. Running back Spencer
Ware was sidelined by a hamstring problem. Right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
spent his first week on the practice field after a broken leg landed him on
injured reserve.With a week off, there¡¯s a chance all of them could be ready for
the playoffs.¡°We will have to see throughout the next week here just exactly how
that goes,¡± Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. ¡°Let¡¯s just see how it plays
out and how the guys do. I¡¯m sure some of them will be through the following
week, too, as far as the game week goes. We will just have to see how it all
goes.¡±Berry missed all of last season after tearing his Achilles¡¯ tendon, then
had his heel act up early in training camp. He didn¡¯t hit the practice field
until midway through the
season
Kendall
Fuller Jersey , and didn¡¯t make his debut until Week 15, when the Chiefs
lost to the Chargers in a game he played about a half.He played more the
following week against the Seahawks, slowly ramping up his activity level, and
was starting to resemble the three-time All-Pro of old when he experienced a
setback in practice.Now, Berry may be the biggest wild card for the Chiefs
heading into the playoffs.On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs have
continued to score at a record pace despite losing a series of crucial players.
Watkins hasn¡¯t played a full game since getting hurt in early November, Ware has
been slowed the last few weeks and Duvernay-Tardif has been on IR since Week
5.The Chiefs are confident Ware will be able to go, an important piece ever
since they swiftly cut ties with Kareem Hunt following a series of off-field
issues midway through the season. Damien Williams played so well in relief that
he earned a contract extension last week, but journeyman Darrel Williams and
longtime backup Charcandrick West are the only other running backs on the
roster.In other
words
Eric Murray
Jersey , getting Ware back provides not only another playmaker, but adds
some needed depth.Watkins was starting to show why the Chiefs signed him to a
three-year, $36 million contract this past offseason when his foot injury
occurred. The Chiefs have used a rotation of players to cover for him, and there
was enough concern about his returning that they signed Kelvin Benjamin to
help.Demarcus Robinson has been perhaps the biggest bright spot since Watkins
has been out, but the Chiefs getting their No. 2 wide receiver back for the
playoffs would only help the league¡¯s highest-scoring offense.It would also take
some of the pressure off wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.As
for Duvernay-Tardif, the Chiefs have shuffled offensive linemen throughout the
season as injuries have piled up, even signing former starter Jeff Allen to
provide help. But they¡¯re finally healthy across the board, and that means
Duvernay-Tardif can take his time working back up to speed.He had a three-week
window after coming off IR before the Chiefs must decide whether to activate
him, and adding one of the league¡¯s best run blockers back to the mix would be a
welcome addition.¡°He has another couple weeks of flexibility with that. He went
through practice last week. We will keep him coming on
that
Terrance
Smith Jersey ,¡± Reid said. ¡°There are certain things he can do well and
other things that he still is working through. We will see how that goes.¡±As the
top-seeded Chiefs spend this week getting healthy, they also will begin
preparations for their divisional opponent. They¡¯ll face the lowest remaining
seed among the Colts, Ravens or Chargers, and the only team they haven¡¯t faced
this season is Indianapolis.They beat the Ravens and split with the Chargers,
each team winning on the road.¡°I always feel like there is a bulls-eye every
week,¡± Reid said, ¡°and that¡¯s OK. That¡¯s the way you want it. We¡¯ve earned the
right to be in this position and it¡¯s important you handle it the right way. I
know I have a good locker room and they¡¯ll handle it right and the coaches will
handle it the right way.¡±100< ="view-gallery">View Gallery>
Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
| Raj Mehta The alleged victim in the February 2018 incident involving former
Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt initially wanted to press charges. Now,
19-year-old Abby Ottinger simply wants to be left alone.A comprehensive review
of the situation conducted by ESPN¡¯s included an effort to speak to Ottinger. A
member of her family told ESPN on Wednesday that ¡°the whole incident has been
very difficult for her and that all she wants now is her privacy.¡±This means
that Hunt most likely won¡¯t face criminal charges. Ottinger¡¯s lack of
cooperation,
however
Xavier
Williams Jersey , won¡¯t keep the NFL from taking action against Hunt,
because the evidence of what Hunt did appears on a video that the NFL was unable
to obtain, but TMZ wasn¡¯t.Some league insiders have speculated that Hunt and
Ottinger reached a settlement. However, Hunt¡¯s explanation from a Sunday
interview with ESPN¡¯s Lisa Salters created the impression that Hunt doesn¡¯t know
much if anything about Ottinger, making a settlement unlikely (unless it was
handled largely if not exclusively by Hunt¡¯s lawyer). Others have suggested that
Ottinger had a change of heart once she realized that the facts of the case
would include an allegation that she directed racial slurs at Rayshawn Watkins,
a friend and former teammate of Hunt¡¯s.Regardless, the account from ESPN creates
a clear impression that management at the hotel where Hunt had leased an
apartment was motivated to protect Hunt, and that police weren¡¯t motivated to do
much of anything, other than defer to hotel management. 29-year-old Derek
Szeto
Jordan Lucas
Jersey , a bystander who sensed that the hotel wasn¡¯t taking the situation
seriously and ¡°was acting weird,¡± was detained by police after using his phone
to record video of his interactions with hotel officials and refusing to
surrender it to police.At a time when the NFL has absorbed plenty of criticism
for its investigation of the situation, it¡¯s clear based on the ESPN report that
the hotel and police didn¡¯t seem to be all that inclined in getting to the
truth, which necessarily made it much harder for the NFL to figure out what had
transpired.