KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs come off a 45-10 victory over the Detroit Lions in London and earned a well-deserved break entering the bye week.
Nov. 1, 2015; London: Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid waits with his players before taking the field against the Detroit Lions at Wembley Stadium. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
“The players have time off,” coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Like I do every year, I’ve given them the week here to get themselves back and relax here a bit.”
The Chiefs have momentum after winning two straight games and now stand on a 3-5 record ahead of a pivotal swing through the AFC West.
Three of the next four games after the bye are on the road against the Denver Broncos (7-0) in Week 10, San Diego Chargers (2-6) in Week 11 and Oakland Raiders (4-3) in Week 13.
The Chiefs then host the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 14.
While Reid wants the players rested, he also doesn’t want them to lose focus given the preparations waiting for their return.
“We’ve got a big job at hand here,” Reid said. “We’ve got the AFC West coming up here and we’ve got to make sure that we’re right both mentally and physically.
“So you step back, but at the same time you keep yourself in condition, so when you get back here next Monday that you’re ready to roll. So I have trust in this team that they’ll do that and they’ve been very responsible up to this point. So I really expect them to handle themselves the right way.”
Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach David Culley said the players haven’t watched film of the Broncos-Green Bay Packers game, a contest won by the Broncos, 29-10.
But the Chiefs made sure the players were aware of what happened Sunday night.
“They all got their iPads with them,” Culley said, “so I’m sure they’ll all be able to take a look at it because they all got it.”
In the meantime, the Chiefs have an opportunity to recharge batteries and Culley believes the bye week came at a perfect time.
“I think the break is coming at a good time for us, especially after two wins,” Culley said. “I think they need to go ahead and get refreshed. I think now that we’ve had some success, I think now what they’ll kind of do is sit back, take a few days off to kind of get their bodies back. Mentally, I think it will be great for them to start the second half after two wins.”
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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