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With one player, in particular, getting injured in Sunday’s Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs have protected their next man up on the practice squad in Week 14.
The Chiefs have used a player protection on cornerback Josh Jackson, according to the NFL’s transaction report.
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Reid: Lammons Has High-Ankle Sprain
Special teams standout Chris Lammons suffered a high-ankle spread in Kansas City’s 22-9 victory over Denver in Week 13, which puts his availability for the Chiefs’ Week 14 game against the Las Vegas Raiders in jeopardy. While Reid didn’t say definitively that Jackson would be the next man up in Lammons’ role if Lammons were to miss the upcoming game, Jackson was the first and only guy Big Red noted as an option among a “variety.”
“We’ll just see how that rolls,” Reid said during his press conference on Wednesday, December 8 when asked who Lammons’ replacement would be. “We’ve got some guys—(Josh) Jackson you guys know about, and he can work in there too and do some stuff. We’ve got a variety of guys that we can use.”
Jackson entered the league as a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2018 NFL Draft. During the next three seasons, he would accumulate 71 tackles, 12 passes defended, and two tackles for loss, per Pro Football Reference. On August 17, the Packers traded Jackson to the New York Giants, who then waived him on October 26. After clearing waivers, the Chiefs signed him to their practice squad.
Lammons is in the midst of a Pro Bowl-caliber season as a gunner for the Chiefs, which has his teammates cheering for his nomination on social media. His presence in the lineup will be missed if he is forced to miss time, as the play of the defense and special teams have been the catalysts for Kansas City’s current 5-game win streak.
Playoff Picture Narrowing for Chiefs
The win against the Broncos extended Kansas City’s win streak to five games. Head coach Andy Reid spoke about what’s he’s liked about his team during the consecutive games won.
“I’ve loved the attitude. I’ve loved the defense. Our defense I think has stepped up and really played well at football. They’re attacking. It’s a great tempo setter for everybody,” Reid explained during his postgame press conference on Sunday, December 5. “The offense has been doing enough. Grab a couple points and have some nice drives with room to improve. We all have room to improve, and then special teams has also upped their game. They’re doing well, and I appreciate it, but most of all, the attitude. I watch these guys come out to practice and they’re 100 miles per hour. You don’t have to say anything to them. They know what’s at stake and they approach it that way, but yet they enjoy being around each other.”
After defeating one of their division rivals, Kansas City now has an 8-4 record, which is tied for the second-best record in the AFC. The Chiefs lost their matchups this season against the No. 2 seeded Tennessee Titans (8-4) and No. 3 seeded Baltimore Ravens(8-4), so Kansas City would need a better overall record than those two teams to leapfrog them in the standings. However, because the defending AFC champions have not played against the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots (9-4) yet and won’t in the regular season, they still have a chance to claim the top seed in the conference.
Kansas City currently holds a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West, and a two-game lead over the Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
In Week 14, the Chiefs take on the Raiders for their second and final matchup of the season. Kickoff is on Sunday, December 12 at 12 p.m. Arrowhead Time.