Getty The Kansas City Chiefs could be facing Washington Football Team without wide receiver Terry McLaurin in Week 6.
With defense being the major issue for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, it’s always a good sign when the opposing offense could be missing several integral pieces.
That’s the case for the Washington Football Team ahead of their Week 6 matchup with the Chiefs. This is a road game for Kansas City coming off a home loss against the Buffalo Bills. A bounce-back will be essential for the AFC contender’s long-term chances and the latest from WFT camp may help.
Washington WR Terry McLaurin was officially a DNP in practice today due to a hamstring injury and is now listed as questionable to play Sunday vs. the Chiefs.
NFL insider Field Yates reported that wide receiver Terry McLaurin was “officially a [did not practice] today due to a hamstring injury and is now listed as questionable to play Sunday vs. the Chiefs” — and he’s not the only one.
ALL the latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
WFT Is Banged up on Offense
Washington could be in trouble on Sunday, starting with McLaurin — who’s quickly becoming one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. The pass-catcher was an unexpected no-practice on October 15 but NFL Network’s James Palmer tweeted this about the game-time decision: “From my understanding, I’d be really surprised if Terry McLaurin can’t go on Sunday.”
Of course, Washington has already deemed wide receiver Curtis Samuel, starting right tackle Sam Cosmi, starting right guard Brandon Scherff and wide receiver Cam Sims “out” for Week 6 according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
That leaves a shortlist of options for Taylor Heinicke to throw the ball to, even if McLaurin does end up playing. WRs Adam Humphries and DeAndre Carter will be the likely next men up, and there’s one more problem besides offensive line and wide receiver.
Do-it-all running back Antonio Gibson is also dealing with a stress fracture in his shin. The dynamic ball carrier was limited in practice on October 15 and looked to be moving a bit gingerly during a side session.
Antonio Gibson doing some solo receiving work at the end of open practice while the other backs were elsewhere on the field.
This is all quite troublesome for Washington, but it could be just what the doctor ordered for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. If they can’t stop Heinicke and his group of wounded soldiers, kiss any championship aspirations goodbye in 2021.
Follow the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest KC-related daily content, analysis, features and more!
Andy Reid Discusses Upcoming Opponent
During a spot with BMitch & Finlay on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about the Week 6 matchup with HC Ron Rivera and WFT.
“They’re well-coached first of all,” Big Red noted, “and then that defensive front is strong, that’s a good group. Jack [Del Rio] does a heck of a job, and Ron, they’re on the same page. They’re aggressive, so we’ll have to put together a good game plan to be sharp.”
Reid continued in his respect for Rivera, a former colleague in Philadelphia: “I’ve played now Jon Gruden and Sean McDermott, now Ron [Rivera], and the other two beat the dog out of me. So listen, I love the guys, but I want to be more competitive than what we’ve been, and Ron does a heck of a job. I’m proud of him for what he’s done. Proud of the way he handled his bout of Cancer. I mean he’s dirty tough. It’s great that he’s able to do what he’s doing at Washington. I respect that.”
Chiefs fans will hope that WFT doesn’t “beat the dog out of” Kansas City in Week 6. Coach Reid also commended Heinicke, who he called a “scrappy” QB who’s “playing his tail off” right now. In the end, it always comes down to matchups for the HC.
“This game is matchups,” Reid voiced, “the game itself is how you match things up with the opponent. They’ve got some tough matchups, they’re pretty good. We’ve got to make sure we get our work done… but matchups are everything in this league.”
With all the injuries on the opposite side of the football, KC will definitely have some exploitable matchups to game plan around on Sunday.