KANSAS City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is placing his confidence in a veteran player.
The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with multiple offensive injuries, and are expecting a wide receiver to step up and lead the team.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid thinks Juju Smith-Schuster is going to step up for the team[/caption]
Juju is playing in his second season with the Chiefs this year[/caption]
The Chiefs lost wide receiver Rashee Rice for the season, and already were missing veteran player Marquise Brown.
Without them, first-round rookie Xavier Worthy appeared to be the top target remaining for Patrick Mahomes.
However, veteran wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster is the one stepping up for the Chiefs, and Andy Reid has full faith in him.
“He’s a veteran, he works hard, and he’s smart,” Reid said.
“Pat [Mahomes] has trust in him. We as coaches have trust in him and we’ve tried to put him in good positions for his strengths and try to utilize those.
“I think all of those things add up to production.”
With no Rice in the lineup, Juju broke out in a big way in the Chiefs’ last game on October 7.
He caught seven passes for 130 yards and helped the Chiefs take down the New Orleans Saints 26-13.
“He’s kept himself in great shape, he’s smart, and he knows how to play the game,” Reid continued.
Juju previously spent time with the Chiefs in 2022, winning a Super Bowl with the team that season.
It was one of the better seasons of his career too, going for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
He was one of the team’s top options that season, and Reid said him lining up on the other side of Travis Kelce made him important to the Chiefs.
“The guy lining up opposite Kelce ends up being very important,” Reid said.
“They know how to play the game and can kind of do similar things that Kelce can do.
“If you can get that, then you’ve got something going offensively that way.”
London calling
The New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings kick off the NFL’s annual run of London fixtures.
New York and Minnesota face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday October 6 at 2.30pm local time – 9.30am ET for fans back home in America.
It is the first of three straight NFL Sundays that begin with an early game live from London.
The following week, Tottenham also plays host to the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Chicago Bears.
And on October 20, the Jags will head across town to Wembley Stadium to take on the New England Patriots.
The Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and Juju will likely continue as the top receiving option for Mahomes.
Kelce will be an option as well, as he is continuing to improve each and every week after a slow start to the season.
He has back-to-back games of 70 yards or more after only having 69 total yards through the first three weeks of the season.
Kelce is still searching for his first touchdown of the season, but it will likely come soon for the 12th-year tight end.
The Chiefs need him to step up alongside Juju with so many injuries on the offense.
Juju won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2023[/caption]
