October 29, 2022
By Fred Liggett
sports.lstribune08@gmail.com
As the 2022 calendar approaches Halloween the NFL season nears its midway point and so far nothing scary for Kansas City Chiefs as the team heads into a bye week. There is a lot of treats for Chiefs fans to enjoy after 7 games into a 17 game season.
Having a bye week halfway through a season is what most teams prefer and the Chiefs find themselves sitting all alone in first place of the AFC West Division at 5-2 as players head off in different directions. In addition to the overall record the Chiefs have a 2-0 mark within the division. Any review will show the Chiefs did well in what was termed the toughest first eight-game stretch in NFL history.
The Chiefs are holding up well in their efforts to win a seventh consecutive AFC West title. The impressive start is thanks to some key acquisitions during the off season to go along with a strong returning core. The month of September saw QB Patrick Mahomes be honored twice as AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month. Another key contributor has been DL Chris Jones who has been getting to the opposing quarterback so much this season he was flagged for landing on one creating a brief one game controversy.
Newcomers to the 2022 roster have been showing well so far this season. A lot of questions were asked before the season about the Chiefs offense without pro bowl WR Tyreek Hill. Those questions have been answered thanks to performances like Mecole Hardman’s three touchdown effort last week. Both WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marques Valdez Scantling went over 100 yards each in the Chiefs last effort.
The Chiefs have been helped by staying relatively healthy all season. No one has been lost to a season ending injury but a few injured players have missed one or two games. Getting back LB Willie Gay Jr from a four-game suspension was a key in the team’s win in San Francisco. Following the bye the Chiefs expect to see Rashad Fenton and rookie Trent McDuffie back at their normal starting positions.
Following the bye week the Chiefs will return to a normal routine. The first game back is in prime time and on a Sunday night, something fans have gotten used to. The first two games are at home as the Chiefs navigate through the final 10 games of the regular season. Given the current health status of the team, having added preparation time and starting the second half at 5-2 one can look forward to a fine finish ahead for Chiefs in 2022. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.
