The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a hard-fought 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week in primetime, which helped them clinch another AFC West title. Since their road loss against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City has won three consecutive games. On Sunday, they will face one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns.
Kansas City enters Sunday’s matchup against Cleveland as only 4.5-point road favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, despite having a notable injury on the offensive line. Chiefs senior team reporter Matt McMullen reported on Thursday that left tackle D.J. Humphries won’t practice today due to a hamstring injury.
D.J. Humphries (hamstring) won’t practice for the Chiefs today.
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) December 12, 2024
Humphries was listed as a DNP for Wednesday’s practice, so having back-to-back days with the same injury designation is not a good sign. The 30-year-old offensive lineman made his Chiefs debut against the Chargers.
The veteran took over at left tackle for Kansas City, which has been a longstanding issue this season. The Chiefs tried Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle and they did not pass the test. Kansas City signed Humphries toward the end of last month.
That said, with Humphries banged up, the Chiefs might have to go back to Morris at left tackle, which isn’t great news for Patrick Mahomes. Morris was terrible against the Las Vegas Raiders, as their defense was able to get into Mahomes’ space.
One can only imagine what Browns superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett will do on Sunday, who has 22 QB hits and 11 sacks this season.
Therefore, head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy must devise a plan to run the ball more with Isaih Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. They must also utilize the quick passing game to keep Garrett and the rest of the Browns’ defense at bay.
