Kansas City Chiefs DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) will remain on Injured Reserve, which means he won't play again this season, even if the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship this Sunday to advance to a third straight Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs opened Hardman's 21-day practice window to return from IR before the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, but the team never felt comfortable putting him out there on game day. The 26-year-old will now begin his offseason early and make sure that his knee is fully ready for the start of the 2025 regular season this fall. Hardman was mostly valuable to the Chiefs this year before his knee injury as a return man on special teams, as he caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns in 12 games played in 2024.

When asked about wide receiver Mecole Hardman's (knee) status for their meeting with the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid remarked, "We'll see how that goes," per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. "I haven't made any decisions on that yet," said Reid -- "He's worked hard to try and get himself back." Hardman has been shelved since early December after sustaining a knee injury at practice that required cleanup surgery. The Georgia native appeared in 12 games, recording only 12 catches and 90 yards -- sans a touchdown. However, he was a valuable kick returner for the team, averaging 13.4 yards per touch on special teams. Hardman returned to practice last week in a limited capacity, but it appears like he's not yet ready for in-game action. With Kansas City squaring off against Buffalo on Sunday night, we'll see if he can elevate his practice status ahead of the Chiefs' first injury report on Wednesday.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco handled five carries for 18 yards in the 23-14 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday. Despite being the starting running back, Pacheco lost work and ceded a touchdown to Kareem Hunt later in the game. Pacheco was stuffed on his first carry and dropped his only target of the game on the team's first drive. Despite having nearly three weeks to rest and prepare for this contest, Pacheco has not regained his pre-injury form. The explosive second-year back was held to just 3.6 yards per carry in this contest. Given how Hunt has performed, Pacheco will likely remain the backup for the AFC Championship game next week. The Chiefs will take on the winner of the Divisional Round matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. Regardless of their opponent, Pacheco's value will remain low as the RB2 on the team.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught five passes for 45 yards in the 23-14 win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. Worthy finished the game second on the team in receiving stats behind Travis Kelce but was the only wide receiver to catch a pass for Kansas City. Worthy has blossomed into Mahomes' top option in the receiving corps despite being a rookie. Worthy even had a highlight over-the-shoulder catch in the first quarter. The 21-year-old will have a week to prepare for the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills. Regardless of the matchup, Andy Reid and the Chiefs will find creative ways to get the ball into Worthy's hands.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt handled eight carries for 44 yards and a touchdown in the 23-14 win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. The veteran running back also caught one pass for two yards in this contest. Hunt led the backfield with more touches and total yards than Isiah Pacheco. The 29-year-old also averaged 5.5 yards per carry compared to 3.6 for Pacheco. Despite the latter starting the game, Hunt showed that he is the better back right now. Hunt will have the week to prepare for the team's AFC Championship matchup against the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills. The Ravens appear to be the tougher run defense of the two, but Hunt should be heavily involved regardless of the matchup.