Getty Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
While the Kansas City Chiefs did keep their win streak alive thanks to their 36-10 blowout victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, a key member of their offense suffered an injury.
Early in the third quarter of the game on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, second-year running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire took a carry to his right for a pick of just two yards. Edwards-Helaire had a Steelers lineman on top of him as he went to the ground, and all of that weight landed on what looked to be his left shoulder.
The result was what the Chiefs described as a collarbone injury, which was enough to keep the budding star on the sideline for the remainder of the game.
After the game, the X-rays on Edwards-Helaire’s collarbone came back negative, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. However, an additional update was given on the severity of Edwards-Helaire’s injury on Monday, December 27.
There is swelling in CEH’s collarbone, according to Rapoport, but there is no structural damage and the injury is not season-ending.
“Clyde Edwards-Helaire should return shortly,” Rapoport wrote on Twitter.
Additionally, ESPN’s Adam Schefter labeled CEH as “week-to-week.”
“It will be challenging for Edwards-Helaire to play Sunday vs. Cincinnati but the fact that it is on the table is a win for CEH and the Chiefs,” Schefter wrote on Twitter.
Chiefs’ RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is now considered week-to-week with a bruised shoulder, per a league source. It will be challenging for Edwards-Helaire to play Sunday vs. Cincinnati but the fact that it is on the table is a win for CEH and the Chiefs.
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Chiefs Dominate Steelers, Lock Up AFC West
In a highly-anticipated matchup between two respected AFC teams, the Chiefs manhandled the Steelers at Arrowhead.
Kansas City’s offense — without tight end Travis Kelce in the lineup — racked up 381 yards of total offense. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 23-of-30 pass attempts for 258 yards and three touchdowns. His performance came in a game in which wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught only two passes for 19 yards.
Wideout Byron Pringle picked up the slack in the receiver room, reeling in six passes for 75 yards on seven targets and two touchdowns. Mecole Hardman also caught three passes for 31 yards, which included an eight-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes.
“Excuse me! Excuse me!!” –@pringle_byron, probably
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Kansas City’s defense also continued its elite dominance. Against Pittsburgh, the Chiefs defense allowed just 3.8 yards per pass attempt and recorded two fumble recoveries and an interception.
During the Chiefs’ current eight-game win streak, the defense is allowing just 11.75 points per game.
.@itslilmooney with the PICK 🎯
📺: #PITvsKC on CBS
Andy Reid on Chiefs’ 8th Straight Win
Following the game, head coach Andy Reid explained what it meant to him and the team to beat Pittsburgh, which locked up the AFC West title for Kansas City for a division-record sixth straight season.
“We don’t take any of those experiences for granted at all,” Reid explained during his postgame press conference. “I know we get a free t-shirt and a hat, but there’s a lot of sweat that goes into this—the effort, pushing through things that you normally don’t have to push through to get to work, both mentally and physically. So, I’m proud of our guys for how they handled it and I’m proud of the coaches for how they handled it. It’s a great honor, so we’ll enjoy it here for a day or two and then we’ve got to get on to a real good Cincinnati team next week.”
Andy Reid on winning the AFC West, “I know you get a free t-shirt and a hat…. It’s a great honor and we’ll enjoy it for a day or two….”
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Chiefs have not only locked up the division but also remain in first place in the AFC, which means they will have a bye week at the beginning of the postseason if they remain in this spot.
In Week 17, Kansas City travels to face the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs then close out the regular season by facing the division-rival Broncos in Denver.