FOOTBALL

Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire questionable vs. Browns

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is questionable for Sunday’s AFC divisional round playoff game against the Cleveland Browns despite missing practice for the second straight day.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced the playing statuses of Edwards-Helaire, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Willie Gay on Friday. Watkins (calf) and Gay (ankle) were ruled out of Sunday’s home game.

Edwards-Helaire, who is nursing hip and ankle injuries, missed the final two games of the regular season.

Despite those absences, Edwards-Helaire recorded team-leading totals in carries (181), rushing yards (803) and rushing touchdowns (four). He also had 36 catches for 297 yards and a score since being selected by Kansas City with the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Running backs Le’Veon Bell and Darrel Williams would see an increase in snaps should Edwards-Helaire be limited or unable to play against Cleveland.

Bell rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns in nine games with the Chiefs, while Williams had 169 yards and one score in 16 games.

Demarcus Robinson likely will see more snaps in place of Watkins, who had 37 receptions for 421 yards and two touchdowns this season. Robinson had 45 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games in 2020.

The Browns listed four players as questionable: Offensive tackle Jack Conklin (hamstring/knee), linebacker B.J. Goodson (shoulder), tight end David Njoku (hamstring) and tight end Stephen Carlson (groin).

Divisional Playoffs dividing bettors for Sunday games

The Cleveland Browns are 10-point underdogs as Sunday’s Divisional Playoff game at Kansas City approaches, and the largest spread line of the weekend is dividing bettors.

The Chiefs (14-2) are coming off a bye week as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They’re rested and playing host to a Browns team still managing its way through a COVID-19 outbreak.

However, Kansas City has failed to cover the spread in eight consecutive games. The Chiefs are being backed by 59 percent of the spread handle at BetRivers.com and 52 percent at DraftKings, but only 42 percent at FanDuel as of Friday.

Bettors are showing much more confidence in the Chiefs’ moneyline, backing them with 89 percent of the handle at -500 at FanDuel and 89 percent at DraftKings. BetRivers.com is offering Kansas City at -480, which is being backed by 86 percent of the handle.

The Over/Under has been set at 57 percent by all three sportsbooks. The Over is being backed by 89 percent of the handle at FanDuel, 85 percent at BetRivers.com and 83 percent at DraftKings.

The Browns are coming off an explosive 48-37 upset of Pittsburgh in the wild-card round, which elevated them into Sunday’s game.

Despite sitting out the Jan. 3 setback to the Los Angeles Chargers, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes helped engineer a 14-2 season for Kansas City while passing for 4,740 yards and 38 touchdowns. He will square off against Baker Mayfield as they reprise their old Big 12 shootouts.

The Chiefs scored at least 31 points in each of their postseason wins a year ago. Travis Kelce, who set an NFL record for tight ends with 1,416 receiving yards, also sat out the defeat against the Chargers, which snapped a 10-game Chiefs winning streak.

The final game of the Divisional Playoffs will feature future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and Drew Brees going toe-to-toe in what could be another shootout.

DraftKings and FanDuel have both set the Over/Under for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints game at 52, with the Over being backed by 81 percent of the handle at the former and 83 percent at the latter.

Brees’ Saints are 3-point favorites at all three books.

New Orleans swept the regular-season series, but the Bucs are being backed by 63 percent of the spread handle at BetRivers and 56 percent at FanDuel.

The action is more divided at DraftKings, where the Saints are backed by 51 percent of the spread handle. However, the Bucs (+175) are backed by 75 percent of the moneyline handle. Tampa Bay is being backed by 72 percent of the moneyline handle at BetRivers at +155, and 68 percent at FanDuel at +148.

New Orleans is the only team to have defeated Brady twice in the same season.

The Saints ruined Brady’s debut with the Buccaneers after 20 seasons in New England when they prevailed 34-23 in the season opener in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

They handed Brady the worst loss of his career when they completed the season-series sweep with a 38-3 rout in Tampa on Nov. 8.

Now the stakes are higher, as the winner will earn a trip to the NFC Championship on Jan. 24.

“When the playoffs come and you’re playing a division opponent like this,” Saints coach Sean Payton said, “it’s a whole new season. It’s entirely different.”

Much of the attention leading up to the game will be on Brees and Brady, the two most productive passers in NFL history. This will be the last time they face each other, if Brees retires after this season.

The Saints’ defense was perhaps the most important factor in winning the first two games. They intercepted Brady twice in the first meeting, including one that Janoris Jenkins returned for a touchdown. And they intercepted him three times in the second meeting.

Brees had six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two meetings.

For the season, Brady has passed for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has just seven interceptions against teams other than New Orleans.

Since the second loss to the Saints, the Bucs have averaged 34.6 points per game.

Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire returns to practice

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire returned to practice on Wednesday after missing the final two games of the regular season.

The move represents a positive sign for Edwards-Helaire’s chances to play in Sunday’s divisional playoff game versus the visiting Cleveland Browns.

“He just went right at it. Fearless with (his rehabilitation). And as a result, he’s probably a little bit ahead,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Edwards-Helaire, who has been nursing hip and ankle injuries.

Edwards-Helaire, 21, has team-leading totals in carries (181), rushing yards (803) and rushing touchdowns (four) since being selected by Kansas City with the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He also has 36 catches for 297 yards and a score.

Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, also participated in practice on Wednesday.

Hill, 26, has 87 receptions for 1,276 yards with a career-best 15 touchdowns this season.

Linebacker Willie Gay (ankle), cornerback Rashad Fenton (ankle) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf) didn’t practice on Wednesday.

Aaron Donald, Travis Kelce anchor All-Pro team

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce were unanimous selections to the 2020 Associated Press All-Pro team announced Friday.

Donald and Kelce swept all 50 votes from a nationwide panel of media members.

It is the sixth consecutive selection for Donald, 29, who registered 13.5 sacks for a Rams defense that finished No. 1 in the NFL in scoring defense and total defense.

It is the third selection for Kelce (2016, 2018). The 31-year-old helped the Chiefs secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and set a record for tight ends with 1,416 receiving yards.

The Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts both had four players on the list.

Quarterback and leading MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers (third selection), left tackle David Bakhtiari (second), center Corey Linsley (first) and wide receiver Davante Adams (first) helped the Packers (13-3) secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Left guard Quenton Nelson (third), linebacker Darius Leonard (second), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and special teamer George Odum each earned their first All-Pro nods for the Colts, who finished 11-5 and earned a wild-card berth.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry was honored for the first time after rushing for 2,027 yards and capturing his second straight NFL rushing title.

The rest of the All-Pro offense includes Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (third selection), Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (first), Washington Football Team right guard Brandon Scherff (first) and Cleveland Browns right tackle Jack Conklin (second).

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner made the team for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

The rest of the All-Pro defense includes edge rushers T.J. Watt (second selection) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Garrett (first) of the Browns, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (first), cornerbacks Xavien Howard (first) of the Miami Dolphins and Jalen Ramsey (second) of the Rams, and safeties Tyrann Mathieu (third) of the Chiefs, Minkah Fitzpatrick (second) of the Steelers and Budda Baker (second) of the Arizona Cardinals.

Chicago Bears kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson earned his fourth selection. The rest of the special teams All-Pros are first-time honorees: Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders, New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey and Patriots punt returner Gunner Olszewski.

The AFC placed 18 players on the list, compared to 11 for the NFC. Sixteen of the 32 NFL teams had at least one player selected.