WHAT ARE THEY WATCHING?
Chiefs praise 0-7 Jets as ‘a hell of a football team’
The 0-7 Jets might be in the throes of a historically horrific season, but the Chiefs aren’t about to look past their feeble opponent on Sunday. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Pro Bowl defensive lineman Chris Jones was preparing to face the Greatest Show on Turf this weekend.
“That’s a very good football team,” Jones said Thursday. “Sam Darnold… doesn’t get the credit, but he’s a very, very good quarterback. I think people tend to forget that because of their record. But they have guys out there. They play really well. They’ve been in a lot of close games. And you can’t take those guys for granted. That’s a hell of a football team.”
The Jets, who are the only winless team in the league, have a league-worst minus-118 point differential through seven weeks. They’ve lost by an average of 16.9 points, including three defeats by at least 20 points and five by double-digits.
Nine players in the league have as many touchdowns (seven) as Adam Gase’s offense. Gang Green managed 25 net yards on its final 22 plays last week, including a grand total of four yards in the second half. The Jets, who are 19.5-point underdogs to the defending Super Bowl champions, are in line to fall to 0-8 for only the second time in their 61-year history.
However, Andy Reid & Co. don’t want to be lulled into a deep sleep, no matter how hapless the Jets might be.
“Things can get magnified, especially on that ol’ Eastern Seaboard there,” Reid said. “You lose a few games and it’s the end of the world. But things can change around as quick as they seem to be going bad. It’s the NFL … anything can happen. And you’re never out of hope.” Hey, coach. The Jets are out of hope. At least for the rest of this season with this head coach.
The Chiefs were reminded this week that they fell to the 1-8 Giants in 2017.
“It’s a huge danger,” Jones said of overlooking the worst team in the league. “We can’t take these games for granted.”
ROOKIE TIME
With the season lost, the final nine games should give rookies an opportunity to get valuable experience before the organization hits the reset button after the season. General manager Joe Douglas hasn’t gotten much return from his nine-man draft class, but there will be plenty of chances for that to change over the final two months of the season.
Left tackle Mekhi Becton looks like a keeper. Wide receiver Denzel Mims and running back La’Mical Perine have shown flashes. Defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga and offensive lineman Cam Clark will almost certainly get quality playing time moving forward.
“I know he’s excited to see these guys play,” Adam Gase said of Douglas. “We’ve been waiting. I think (there was) one week where it was like Perine might have been the only guy that was available. That’s frustrating because we really like this draft class and we feel like these guys can help us a lot. For us to have injuries… at the beginning of the year, to get all these guys out there, that’s a step in the right direction.”
INJURY UPDATE
Wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who has missed last week with a groin injury, returned to practice on a limited basis on Thursday. His status for Sunday remains in doubt. Kicker Sam Ficken (groin), who also didn’t play last week, was limited. WR Breshad Perriman (concussion protocol) and S Bradley McDougald (shoulder) missed practiced for a second consecutive day.