Chiefs News 11/7: The Chiefs offered a 4th round pick for Breece Hall

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NFL midseason predictions: Forecasting every division race, playoff bracket and surprise finish | CBS Sports

1. Chiefs Current record: 5-4 Projected record: 12-5 Kansas City’s quest to win its 10th straight

division title may come down to what happens during its two games against a Denver team that is looking to take the throne. The Chiefs may not be the invincible force that they once were, but they’re still a supremely talented team, led by two-time league and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs edged out the Broncos in these projections based on a better division record.

Super Bowl predictions, midseason update: Seven NFL favorites to win it all in February | NFL.com

2 – Kansas City Chiefs

5 votes · +600

Jeremy Bergman: Chiefs over Eagles. My preseason pick is my midseason pick. Despite the Chiefs’ harried start, there was never a doubt they’d turn it around for a playoff run.

Chad Reuter: Chiefs over Lions. After the Eagles experienced a moment in the sun, the Chiefs rip back the spotlight by winning their fourth Lombardi Trophy in seven seasons.

Dante Koplowitz-Fleming: Chiefs over Seahawks. Mike Macdonald’s defense stymies the Chiefs in the first half with two takeaways and a defensive touchdown, but Patrick Mahomes leads another Super Bowl comeback to earn his fourth Super Bowl MVP.

Anthony Holzman-Escareno: Chiefs over Packers. Patrick Mahomes wins his fourth Super Bowl MVP, inching closer to the ghost of Tom Brady.

Grant Gordon: Chiefs over Rams. Standing strong with my August prognostication … Nope, the Chiefs aren’t done yet. Patrick Mahomes rekindles his deep-flight ways to lead Kansas City to the big game against the Rams, who are buoyed by a tough-as-shoe-leather Matthew Stafford, whose bad back doesn’t hinder his great arm. In the finale, the Chiefs rally for a nail-biting triumph, winning 26-24.

Chiefs at the bye: 3 predictions for the second half of the season | The Athletic

Per TruMedia, the Chiefs have two of the best four backs in the NFL at avoiding negative plays. Isiah Pacheco (7 percent) is best in the NFL when it comes to percentage of runs that are zero or fewer yards, while Kareem Hunt (11 percent) is fourth in the same metric. That’s out of 47 qualified running backs.

It might not be flashy, but it can still be effective. Pacheco and Hunt are both bigger backs who tend to move the pile forward, gaining an extra 2-3 yards on carries that a different back might fail to get.

And that’s why most running-back advanced measures indicate that the Chiefs’ running backs are … fine? Maybe even above average?

Hunt, for instance, averages 0.8 yards over expected per carry per Next Gen Stats’ metrics. That ranks 13th out of 43 qualified running backs, and also is the same total as Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the New York Jets’ Breece Hall (a name you might’ve heard a lot lately).

Were Chiefs close to a deal to trade for Jets RB Breece Hall? | ESPN

Surprisingly, the Chiefs stood pat — a decision that was made just minutes before the deadline. The closest the Chiefs came to making a trade was for New York Jets running back Breece Hall. According to a team source, the negotiations between the teams broke down over the compensation for Hall, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. The Chiefs offered a 2026 fourth-round pick for the 24-year-old, who the source says wanted to join another team after fellow teammates cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams were traded Tuesday. The Jets, though, wanted a 2026 third-round pick.

“I think I’ve said this a million times over and over: Breece was not a guy I wanted to get rid of,” Jets first-year coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday. “I mean, he’s a damn good player.”

Hall, who has recorded 581 rushing yards on 117 attempts, would have been an improvement for the Chiefs’ running attack, which has been the weakest element of the unit. According to the same team source, the Chiefs felt surrendering a 2026 third-round pick — a future player with four years of team control — was more valuable than eight games (and a potential postseason run) from Hall, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the spring.

NFL Quarterback Rankings 2025: A Second-Year Star Is on the Rise | SI

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Last ranking: 2

Mahomes is once again playing at an MVP level. He’s third in passing yardage (2,349), third in touchdown passes (17) and second in EPA (+71.7), trailing only Drake Maye. However, he’s taken half as many sacks (17) as Maye, avoiding the negative plays. Mahomes has also rushed for 285 yards, 20 first downs and four scores. In a year where so many quarterbacks are worthy of award talk, nobody has been more impressive than Mahomes, who didn’t have his top weapon in Rashee Rice until Week 7.

The Ringer’s 2025 QB Rankings | The Ringer

2. Patrick Mahomes

Nobody gets his team out of a jam like Mahomes. Whether it’s a slow start to a season or a third-down play gone haywire, the Chiefs quarterback always comes through. In 2025, Mahomes has done this by becoming a more decisive playmaker. He almost instantaneously finds weak spots in the defensive coverage—leading to a career-low time to throw—and he takes off as soon as the defense has the coverage advantage, which has him on pace for a career-high scramble rate. We’ve also seen Mahomes’s downfield aggressiveness return this season. His average depth of target is back up over 8 yards for the first time since 2020, before opponents figured out how to put a roof on Kansas City’s deep passing game. There have been some growing pains as Mahomes figures out how to mesh his new style of play (more quick, decisive passes) with the big-game hunting we saw in the first few years of his career. But it’s only a matter of time before Mahomes finds the right balance and reclaims his spot as the NFL’s best quarterback.

Around the NFL

Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland dies in apparent suicide at 24 | ESPN

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died Thursday morning from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, according to law authorities.

The team put out a statement Thursday but did not mention a cause of death.

“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”

Kneeland was 24.

The Cowboys have made counseling resources available to all players, coaches and staff. The players are on their bye week and are not scheduled to practice again until Monday.

Broncos’ pass rush too much for Raiders in defensive struggle | ESPN

It wasn’t artistic, but the Denver Broncos notched their seventh straight victory, outlasting the Las Vegas Raiders 10-7 in a defensive struggle at Empower Field on Mile High.

The Broncos stayed atop the AFC West thanks to a defense that sacked Raiders quarterback Geno Smith six times and held Las Vegas to only 10 first downs. Bo Nix hit Troy Franklin for Denver’s touchdown, while rookie running back Ashton Jeanty‘s touchdown was the only Raiders score. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 4:26 left.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

After inaction at the trade deadline, are the Chiefs headed to failure?

But the Chiefs’ defensive line definitely needs pass-rushing help. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen was under pressure for just eight of Sunday’s 30 dropbacks. On those, he was 3-for-5 for 45 yards and took three sacks. But when kept clean, he was 20-for-21 for 228 yards and a touchdown.

Sunday wasn’t an outlier. Kansas City has 20 sacks — which ranks 17th — but that feels misleading. According to PFR, only the Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers have lower pressure rates — and no team has fewer hurries.

Why? The short answer is that Chris Jones is no longer playing at a Hall of Fame level — and he’s in the second year of a five-year contract worth more than $150 million. Halfway through the season, Jones has two sacks and 20 hurries. He had 15 sacks and 53 hurries in the season before his current deal was signed.

The Chiefs’ defensive structure depends on Jones sustaining that level of play into his early 30s. Unfortunately, it hasn’t played out that way.

Jones isn’t the only weak spot. Kansas City whiffed on Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round — and he’s out for the year. Omarr Norman-Lott’s injury eliminated interior depth, Mike Danna seems to have lost a step and Charles Omenihu hasn’t returned to his 2024 form. Finally, replacing Tershawn Wharton’s 2024 production — nine sacks and 28 hurries — has been more difficult than expected.