KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A win is a win for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid but he saw plenty to like in his team’s 27-17 win at New England on Sunday.
“That’s a tough place to play,” Reid said during his Zoom press conference with reporters Monday. “So to be able to put together points on the board with some really good things — six out of the eight first possessions were really good drives for us and offensively — and then defensively to be able to come back and do what we did there, I thought was good.”
Ball security, however, remained the one blemish on the box score with two interceptions and a fumble by Rashee Rice. The second interception came off a drop by Kadarius Toney, and Reid didn’t give a definitive answer when asked about his confidence in the third-year receiver.
“I’m not going to get and all that,” Reid said. “I mean, the obvious is that he’s got to make sure he catches the ball and does that. He’s got a tremendous amount of talent, he’s a good kid. Good attitude, good kid. But you got to make those plays, he knows it as well as anybody. So I’ll leave it, just leave it at that.”
Reid proved more forgiving with Rice, who lost the ball fighting for more yards after a 23-yard reception opening the second half. He ultimately recovered his fumble.
“Rice actually had it covered and then he took his arm off it when he got spun around,” Reid said. “As important as these guys are, as hard as they’re playing to get those extra yards, there’s a point where the ball security overrules that. And young guys, they have to figure that out.”
Pacheco Ready to Rumble
Reid expects running back Isiah Pacheco to return to action this week after a two-game absence due to a shoulder injury. During the team’s game at Green Bay in Week 13, Pacheco suffered a shoulder bruise and required a clean-up surgery on the same shoulder in which he suffered a torn labrum last season.
“He’ll be back this week, he’ll be good to go this week unless there’s further setback, but I mean, right now it’s been, everything’s positive and for him to go,” Reid said. He added that Pacheco’s surgeon gave him clearance to return last week but the team erred on the side of caution.
“I think he’ll play this week,” Reid said. “I think he’ll be ready to go. And that was a clearance that he had to be able to do that.”
Fitting in James and Ross
The Chiefs continued tweaking their receiver rotation against the Patriots with the bulk of the work falling on Rice (60 snaps) and Justin Watson (44) while there have been fewer snaps for Marquez Valdes-Scantling (22) and Skyy Moore (16). Moore was placed on injured reserve after Reid spoke on Monday, further opening up room for experimenting matchups.
The next question for the Chiefs to answer is how to utilize Richie James (2 snaps) and Justyn Ross, who had his roster exemption lifted Monday and is back on the 53-player roster. James caught one pass for 17 yards against the Patriots, and Reid acknowledged he’s been underutilized.
“He’s got to play more than two snaps,” Reid said. “So that’s my responsibility on that. I didn’t have him in on enough stuff. He’s a good football player, though.”
Ross, however, is a different puzzle. He’s coming back after a seven-game absence, and he averaged just 11.5 snaps per contest during the first seven games of the season with three catches on six targets for 34 yards. It’s unlikely the Chiefs will thrust Ross into a larger role quickly, so expect moderation upon his return to the lineup, especially based on Reid’s assessment Monday.
“I have to see on Ross, just where that goes, I’ll get with (general manager Brett) Veach today and we’ll go through all that,” Reid said before Ross was removed from the exempt list.
What’s Next?
The Chiefs’ next opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, have 10 days off following their 63-21 dismantling of the Los Angeles Charger Thursday night before the Christmas Day showdown at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. But the noon kickoff next Monday also gives the Chiefs an added day of respite before facing another well-rested opponent.
The Chiefs resume their normal practice schedule starting Thursday, which means an extra day of rest and recovery this week. Reid’s meeting with reporters on Zoom Monday was the club’s only scheduled media availability until Thursday.
