Chiefs headlines for Saturday, January 11
The latest
How much is home-field advantage worth toward the point spread in the NFL? It depends | The Athletic
Jeff Benson, director of operations for Circa Sports, said home-field advantage was worth roughly 1.75 points on average this season, with adjustments up or down for certain teams. Chris Andrews, a longtime Vegas oddsmaker and sportsbook director at The South Point, said his modifier varied by team, ranging from 0 to 2.5 points. Andrews listed playoff teams Denver and Detroit at the top and the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants – all out of the playoffs – at 0.
“There are places where there is no home-field advantage. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles comes to mind,” Gable said regarding the home field of the L.A. Rams. “I don’t give them much of anything, maybe a quarter point to half a point. There are still places like Kansas City or Seattle that are closer to two points.”
Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Rams are a prime example of how home-field advantage isn’t what it used to be. The team was supposed to play host to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, but the game got moved to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to the Los Angeles wildfires. While the location change shifted the betting line from Vikings -1.5 to -2.5 at multiple sportsbooks, it showed just how little of an overall edge SoFi offers as a home venue.
No surprise here. When you’re vying for a three-peat — and have won three Super Bowls in the past five seasons — you’re probably doing something right. The Chiefs have climbed to the top rung of the NFL ladder with a collection of coaches who are masterful football minds.
Andy Reid is the greatest coach in the game today, with an innovative playbook that transforms quarterbacks into stars. Dating back to his days in Philadelphia, the coaching veteran has routinely crafted game plans and call sheets that enable his QB1s to maximize their abilities while minimizing the potential damage of their shortcomings. Though he is currently coaching a generational talent in Patrick Mahomes, Reid has been able to tweak his scheme to help the quarterback win with or without a stellar supporting cast.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and special teams coordinator Dave Toub are elite unit leaders who understand how to get the most out of their personnel with clever tactics. Spagnuolo is a blitzing specialist with an encyclopedia of exotic pressures that keep quarterbacks guessing within the pocket. Considering how Toub challenges opponents with innovative and aggressive kicking-game schemes, it is not a coincidence the Chiefs have won 11 one-score games this season, allowing them to snag the No. 1 seed in their pursuit of an unprecedented feat: three straight Super Bowl titles.
Jaguars announce they interviewed Steve Spagnuolo for head coach | NBC Sports
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has interviewed for the Jaguars’ head-coaching vacancy.
The Jaguars announced on Friday night that they completed an interview with Spagnuolo.
Spagnuolo is widely viewed as one of the best defensive coaches in NFL history, with four Super Bowl rings as a defensive coordinator. His previous head-coaching experience, however, was a major disappointment, when he went 10-38 in three seasons as coach of the Rams. He also spent four games as interim head coach of the Giants, going 1-3.
Former Raiders, Buccaneers HC predicts Chiefs will win Super Bowl LIX | Chiefs Wire
This week, former Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden officially predicted that Kansas City would complete the NFL’s first-ever three-peat and win Super Bowl LIX in a matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Jon Gruden is picking the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl over the Lions.
Jon Gruden is picking the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl over the Lions.
: Barstool Sports pic.twitter.com/TbGGqbffG7
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) January 10, 2025
The Ringer Staff’s 2024-25 NFL Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions | The Ringer
Lindsay Jones: Look, there are a million reasons to say that this Chiefs team won’t win the Super Bowl after their very weird 15-2 regular season. But there’s one very important reason why they might, and his name is Patrick Mahomes. Other quarterbacks played better than Mahomes this season, and other offenses were more fun to watch than the Chiefs, and there are far more complete teams than Kansas City. But I’m not picking against Mahomes as a 1-seed this time.
Around the NFL
In response to the wildfires that are ongoing around the Los Angeles area, Monday’s wild-card playoff matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams is being moved to Arizona, the league announced in a statement on Thursday evening. Specifically, the game will be held in Glendale at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals.
“In the interest of public safety, Monday’s Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals,” the league’s statement reads. “The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs, and the NFLPA.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson has surgery after tearing Achilles again | ESPN
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent surgery Thursday after tearing his right Achilles tendon again, the team announced.
Watson’s “recovery time and return to play status is uncertain, and he will likely miss significant time during the 2025 season,” the Browns said in a statement. Sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Watson’s recovery is expected to take at least seven months.
During his season-ending exit interview earlier this week, Watson complained of discomfort after rolling his ankle while in Miami. A subsequent MRI revealed a “re-rupture to his Achilles tendon,” the team said. Watson met Thursday with Dr. Robert Anderson before undergoing the surgery.
Tom Brady, Raiders minority owner and Fox analyst, in conflicting jobs | USA Today
Brady did not become a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders solely to bolster his investment portfolio. Nor did Mark Davis recruit the seven-time Super Bowl champion to sit quietly while the Raiders bumble from one season to the next. Brady and Davis want to win, and the surest way to do that is for Brady to play an active role in the Raiders’ front office.
He’s going to be part of a “collaborative committee” that interviews head coaching candidates, Adam Schefter reported earlier this week, citing unnamed league sources. No doubt the prospective general managers, too.
If that conflicts with Brady’s day job as a Fox broadcaster, and it very much does, that’s not his problem. He’s going to exploit any advantage he can, optics be damned.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Roster: Andy Reid says D.J. Humphries moving in right direction
One of the players we were watching carefully during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday was D.J. Humphries, who started the game at left tackle and played 94% of the offensive snaps.
The team had signed the veteran offensive lineman on November 22 to take over the position that neither second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia or second-year player Wanya Morris had been able to hold down. But in his first start against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 8, Humpries suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the next three games.
So Sunday’s game was the last opportunity for Kansas City’s coaches to see if Humphries is ready to step into the role in the postseason — which would allow the team to move Joe Thuney back into his normal (and ideal) position at left guard. Thuney has been playing left tackle (with reserve offensive lineman Mike Caliendo filling in at left guard) since Humprhries’ injury.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, head coach Andy Reid said he liked what he saw from his newest offensive lineman.
“I thought D.J. did a pretty good job there,” he said. “[There were a] few plays he’d probably like to have back — but he’s headed in the right direction.”
Still, Reid was unwilling to be pinned down about which player would get the start at left tackle in next weekend’s Divisional round game.
Social media to make you think
The Bengals subreddit is a complete dumpster fire of Chiefs cope, frustration, misery, and delusion. pic.twitter.com/QKhoa16Gjc
— Patrick Allen (@RPatrickAllen) January 11, 2025
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