Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Mountainous expectations awaited rookie running help Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his NFL debut. Nearly every season-predictions post pumped him up as an Offensive Rookie of the three hundred and sixty five days candidate while delusion football analysts tabbed him as a fundamental-round take. He’s now rostered in 99.6 percent of ESPN delusion leagues (prompting a speed of Contemporary Prince of Helaire team names).
When Chiefs incumbent starter Damien Williams opted out, it used to make sure the work would dash to Edwards-Helaire, expected to beef up a Chiefs running game that struggled except the latter half of the 2019 season. On Thursday night, in primarily the most anticipated kickoff game in current NFL historical previous, Edwards-Helaire made stunning on those expectations, speeding 25 instances for 138 yards (5.5 yards per elevate) and a landing.
The analytics would teach drafting a running help in the important thing round is by no device a stunning worth take, however for this team, it completely used to be. The LSU running help used to be primarily top-of-the-line dash-catching help in his class, excellent for Andy Reid’s zone-heavy speeding assault, and with a duality that enables Reid to tackle the a similar personnel on the field for assorted looks. Running backs assemble one among the finest transitions to the league and can make contributions at the moment, so for this team making an are trying to repeat as Astronomical Bowl champs, this used to be a excellent take.
Edwards-Helaire is a minute 5’7″, and that dimension makes him extremely elusive. He’s so limited that his number, 25, takes up the whole width of his jersey. When he lowers his pads, he’s so low to the bottom it be sophisticated for bigger players to bring him down. This used to be on corpulent show conceal on his 27-yard landing streak in the third quarter.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
The rookie help broke through a gigantic hole, lower left and dodged Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney, then lower valid and made security Justin Reid lose his footing. As he sped to the device line, a Third Texan, Jacob Martin, made a closing-ditch diving effort to the contact Edwards-Helaire. He wasn’t even shut.
Edwards-Helaire’s landing came in a speed of 31 unanswered parts. Kansas Metropolis confirmed its offensive versatility in the job, with a particular player scoring each of the team’s four touchdowns. A team quarterbacked by the explosive Patrick Mahomes and loaded with weapons like tight end Travis Kelce and receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins now has a contemporary dimension in Edwards-Helaire. It be hardly even stunning.
After his landing speed, Edwards-Helaire become the important thing player with 100 speeding yards and a speeding landing in an NFL debut since Saquon Barkley in Week 1, 2018, in opposition to the Jaguars, in step with NFL Research.
In step with ESPN Stats & Records, Edwards-Helaire is the fourth player in the closing 30 seasons with now not lower than 130 speeding yards and a landing in his NFL debut. Every of the old three players either went on to receive Offensive Rookie of the three hundred and sixty five days or a speeding title that three hundred and sixty five days. The expectations for the Chiefs’ contemporary weapon stunning got even higher.
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On the quite loads of facet of the ball, one other rookie contributed to Kansas Metropolis’s receive. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed nabbed his first interception, thanks to rigidity from security Tyrann Mathieu, and conducted higher than expected for a fourth-round soak up his first game.
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson attempted to take on Sneed however discovered no success. Sneed broke up two passes, and while now not one among the Texans receivers are as talented as damaged-down Houston celebrity DeAndre Hopkins, it used to be a solid debut for the rookie nook.
Dynasties are damn near now not possible in this day’s NFL. But with beginners contributing in a dominant receive in opposition to a Texans team that made the playoffs closing three hundred and sixty five days, these Chiefs luxuriate in handiest reinforced the case that they’re the uncommon team who can speed it help. Thursday night’s receive made that device more real looking.
