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NFL Rumors: Chiefs Optimistic Hollywood Brown Practices by Mid-December amid Injury | Bleacher Report

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who has missed the entire regular season with a sternoclavicular joint dislocation suffered during an Aug. 10 preseason matchup, could potentially return to practice soon.

“According to multiple sources, the Chiefs are optimistic that Brown will rejoin his teammates on the practice fields in mid-December,” Nate Taylor of The Athletic reported.

Brown signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Chiefs this offseason. The 27-year-old caught 51 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games for the Arizona Cardinals last year.

The Chiefs have had terrible luck with injuries to key players aside from Brown. Of note, Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured right fibula in Week 2 and missed nine games. Rashee Rice is out for the season after suffering a damaged LCL in Week 2. Kicker Harrison Butker is currently on IR with a knee injury.

The Best NFL Bets for Week 13: And Now the Season Begins | The Ringer

Last week, Bryce Young averaged his highest yards per attempt in any full game this season at 7.5. He excelled against the blitz, where the Chiefs secondary failed to hold up in man coverage.

The Raiders lost by 10 last week at home against Denver, but finished the game with more total yards and first downs than the Broncos. It was a toss-up game by the box score and the Raiders are the only way you could look at betting this game.

Verdict: Lean Raiders +12.5.

2024 NFL Week 13: Expert Picks, Predictions For Every Game | The 33rd Team

Raiders (2-9) vs. Chiefs (10-1)
Spread: Chiefs -13
Total: 42

The Black Friday game is a rematch of the 2023 Christmas Day contest, where the Las Vegas Raiders dominated the Kansas City Chiefs with their defense. That would be the last game the Chiefs would lose the rest of the way, and they didn’t lose again until Week 11 of the 2024 season.

Don’t expect a similar outcome this time around, as the Raiders will be making another quarterback switch with Aidan O’Connell set to return to the lineup. Stay ahead from this point spread. The Chiefs have been historically awful in the Patrick Mahomes era covering double-digit spreads, but take Kansas City to win as it leans on its defense.

Score Prediction: Chiefs 24, Raiders 13

2024 NFL Week 13 QB Power Rankings: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes sneaks up top 10; Broncos’ Bo Nix on the rise | CBS Sports

7 – Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs QB

Are the Chiefs’ current winning ways sustainable? They always need 60 minutes to slug it out. Still, Mahomes has been simply undeniable in crunch time, especially as a last-gasp scrambler. (+3)

Chiefs DT Chris Jones on weekday games: ‘I rather just play on Sunday’ | Chiefs WIre

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has never been shy about sharing his thoughts on any matter throughout his career. During Tuesday’s press conference, he gave his thoughts on playing another game on a short week with reporters.

” I rather just play on Sunday, not these Thursday and Friday games. It’s not enough rest time, but i get it. We was allocated for the spot, only teams playing,” said Jones. “Personally for me, I love my rest. I have a recovery routine. Throughout the week, my body kind of gets used to it. So, to kind of speed it up, everything that’s challenging at points.”

B/R Experts Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: Where Does Every Team Stand? | Bleacher Report

2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)
Last Week: 2
Week 12 Result: Won at Carolina 30-27

Just about no one expected the Kansas City Chiefs to need a last-second field goal to squeak past the lowly Panthers in Carolina on Sunday—including the Panthers, probably.

But that’s what happened Sunday. The Panthers surprisingly gave Kansas City all it could handle before some patented Patrick Mahomes heroics saved the day.

While addressing the media after the game, Mahomes said that while a 30-point win would have been great, making a habit of pulling out close games is a valuable learning experience.

“You always want to have some blowouts and be a little calmer in the fourth quarter, but I’ve always said it could be a good thing when you get to the playoffs later in the season knowing that you have been in those moments before, and knowing how to attack it play by play not making it too big of a moment,” Mahomes said.

That would resonate a bit more if Sunday’s scraper hadn’t come against one of the worst teams in the league.

Picture of Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift Celebrating Chiefs Makes Time’s 2024 Photo List | SI

Swift was in attendance for the Big Game, which was played in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. After the win as the confetti was falling down, Swift went onto the field to celebrate with her boyfriend.

There were many pictures captured in those moments on the field as Swift and Kelce hugged, kissed and walked around celebrating together. One picture in particular of the couple kissing with dozens of photographers surrounding them made Time’s Top 100 Photos of 2024 list this week.

Around the NFL

NFL kickers better than ever on long field goals, but missing key kicks late in games | FOX Sports

NFL kickers have made more 50-plus field goals in the past two weeks (28) than they did in the entire 1994 season. Coaches are trusting their kickers from farther and farther out, so long field goals are much more common. Five years ago, the league had 84 successful field goals from 50-plus yards; this season, the NFL is on pace for 205.

That makes kickers all the more important to an NFL team’s success. Teams are averaging a record 1.76 field goals per game this season (up 10% from five years ago) as compared to 2.14 extra points, which is down from an all-time high of 2.46 per game in 2013. Field goals account for 23% of all NFL points this season, up from 19% in 2020.

In today’s NFL, a busy kicker means a struggling offense, so kicking success is rarely celebrated. The Steelers have won two games this season in which kicker Chris Boswell has scored all their points: 18-10 over the Falcons in Week 1 and 18-16 over the Ravens in Week 11. Boswell hit six field goals in each win.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs’ defense aims to turn pressures into sacks vs. Raiders

The Chiefs’ defensive line has been disruptive all season, but Jones acknowledges there’s room for improvement in finishing plays.

“We’re right there, man. Just finishing,” Jones said, reflecting on the team’s recent performance. “We got a lot of good rushes on film. Over the weeks, getting close to the quarterback, touching him, hitting him. Pressures, hurries. We just got to get him down.”

Heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders, the focus remains on turning those near-misses into impactful sacks. Jones emphasized the importance of teamwork and relentless effort.

“We just got to continue to rush, be relentless, and rush together. I think we can continue to build from that,” he added.

One key boost to the Chiefs’ defensive line has been the return of Charles Omenihu. The 6-foot-5 pass rusher brings a unique skill set that complements Jones and the rest of the unit.

“Charles’ versatility going inside and out adds another level of depth to our defense, especially [on the] D-line,” Jones explained. “He’s a pass rusher, so it’s always good to get more pass rushers on the field…so we can get the quarterback down eventually.”

Omenihu’s ability to move across the line gives the Chiefs more flexibility in their schemes, something Jones appreciates as they prepare for a physical Raiders offensive line.

The Thanksgiving week matchup means less rest and preparation time, a challenge Jones admits can be difficult for players who rely on structured recovery routines.

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