AFC West: Chiefs eye Raiders after brush with virus
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that he hadn’t talked too much about the coronavirus with his team since its 26-10 victory Monday over the New England Patriots.
He prefers to focus on the Raiders instead.
“Both the head coach and general manager there are sharp cookies and have done a great job bringing in personnel that are great players,” Reid said. “They’ve got good assistant coaches and coordinators. It’ll be a tough game. … when you prepare for them, you’ve got a full plate that you’ve got to cover.”
The Chiefs are attempting to readjust after learning Wednesday that Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive for the coronavirus. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes interacted with Gilmore after the game, exchanging a hug and handshake and said “it was a little bit of a mental lapse” while trying to demonstrate sportsmanship.
“It’s a different time,” Mahomes said. “I mean I think that’s the biggest thing, you knew that coming into this season. If you thought you were going to go through the season and no one was going to test positive, then you have a little bit of false hope. So you just trust that the protocols in place are the right protocols.”
Kansas City did not return any positive tests Wednesday and does not have any players on the COVID-19/reserve list. Reid said the franchise is doing its best to mitigate the spread of the virus.
“We’re all wearing masks,” Reid said. “We’ve been doing that — or shields, or whatever all the terms are — but we’ve tried to keep our noses and our mouths covered the best way we possibly can and then try to be as safe as we can off the field. But … every day is a new experience that you’ve got to kind of work through, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Lock returns
Broncos quarterback Drew Lock returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis. Denver coach Vic Fangio said he’d decide later in the week who is going to start at quarterback Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Lock started in Week 1 for the Broncos but sprained his AC joint in Week 2 during a 26-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Backups Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien have started games for Denver the last two weeks. Rypien started Thursday in a 37-28 victory over the New York Jets, completing of 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
“I’m going about it like I’m going to play Sunday,” Rypien said. “If the coaches tell me ‘Hey,’ on Thursday or Friday that Drew is ready to go and that he can play, that’s awesome, too. I’ll be there to support him and get him ready.”
On the move?
The Chargers’ game Monday night against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome could be moved to Indianapolis, according to a report from The Athletic. Hurricane Delta’s winds are swirling at 105 mph and the storm is expected to move toward the Gulf Coast this week, per CNN.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Athletic that the league is monitoring the situation. The Saints are preparing to evacuate New Orleans on Thursday if need be, per the report.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
