PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

December 07, 2018 at 6:34 pm.

FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
BALTIMORE RAVENS

–DOUBTFUL: S Tony Jefferson (ankle)

–QUESTIONABLE: QB Joe Flacco (hip), CB Marlon Humphrey (groin), T James Hurst (back), LB/DB Anthony Levine Sr. (ankle), G Alex Lewis (shoulder), LB Tim Williams (ankle), CB Tavon Young (groin)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

–OUT: WR Sammy Watkins (foot)

–QUESTIONABLE: S Eric Berry (heel), TE Demetrius Harris, knee, illness)

PLAYER NOTES

–RB Spencer Ware has returned to the starting role with the departure of Kareem Hunt. The club lists veteran Damien Williams and rookie Darrel Williams behind Ware on the depth chart with the No. 4 back Charcandrick West, who re-signed with the club this week.

–C Austin Reiter signed a contract extension with the club on Wednesday, although terms were not immediately available. Reiter was scheduled to be a restricted free agent during the offseason. He recently filled in as a starter for four games with Mitch Morse sidelined with a concussion.

–LB Tanoh Kpassagnon played zero snaps during the last two games, and appears to have fallen significantly behind this year’s second-round selection Breeland Speaks as the team’s No. 3 edge rusher behind Justin Houston and Dee Ford.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Damien Williams. Spencer Ware steps into the starting running back role with Kareem Hunt gone, but Williams should serve as a wild card for the offense. He picked up 38 yards rushing along with two catches for 7 yards against Oakland in Week 13. Williams offers a different look from Ware, providing a bit more speed and elusiveness as a companion to Ware’s hard-running style. The Chiefs expect to deploy a running back by committee going forward, which should lead to a decent number of looks for Williams.

GAME PLAN: The Chiefs intend to stay the course offensively in the post-Kareem Hunt era, but the loss of the dynamic playmaker does change the game plan. Expect the Chiefs to remain a quick-moving offense looking to score quickly and at will, but the offense may revolve even more around Patrick Mahomes than it already does. The Ravens present an aggressive defensive front, so Mahomes should look for quick throws to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Having Sammy Watkins back working over the middle should provide a boost as well. The Chiefs will still take shots down field when the opportunity presents itself.

The presence of Lamar Jackson at quarterback certainly concerns the Chiefs defense, which has struggled in recent years against quarterbacks who can work outside the pocket and take off when necessary. But the main job the Chiefs defense faces Sunday is stopping the Baltimore run game. Look for the Chiefs to utilize rookie linebacker Dorian O’Daniel to spy Jackson and keep him from wrecking havoc, but Kansas needs to keep containment on running back Gus Edwards, who has posted 305 yards rushing the past three games. The Chiefs cannot allow the Ravens to dictate the tempo of the game by controlling the clock and keeping Mahomes off the field.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

–Chiefs LBs vs. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says don’t fall asleep on Jackson as a passer, but it’s running that causes the damage in Baltimore’s three-game win streak. Jackson has rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging just 151 yards passing and only throwing one touchdown during that stretch. Justin Houston and Dee Ford must set the edge, while Anthony Hitchens, Reggie Ragland and Dorian O’Daniel can’t allow runners past them for big gains.

–Ravens secondary vs. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. In the midst of a third-straight 1,000-yard season, Kelce comes off the biggest game of his career with 168 yards on 12 catches against Oakland last week. The Ravens have few weaknesses defensively, but they have had trouble matching up with tight ends, and they haven’t faced anyone as tough as Kelce. The Raiders paid too much attention to Tyreek Hill last week, and Kelce beat them badly. Kelce can serve as either the focal point of the offense or a distraction inside creating more one-on-one opportunities for Hill on the outside.