The Kansas City Chiefs added to their linebacker room on Monday, December 30 by signing free agent linebacker Blake Lynch to the active roster, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
Lynch, 27, played with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad to start the season but was released by the team on October 15. He then joined the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad on October 16 but was released by the team on November 16.
Throughout his four-year NFL career, Lynch, who has been primarily a special teamer, has also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks.
Based on his abilities as a special teamer and the fact that Chiefs LB Jack Cochrane suffered a fractured ankle in Week 16, Lynch will presumably fill the void left by Cochrane on Kansas City’s active roster.
Chiefs Likely to Sit Starters in Week 19
The Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes had his best performance of the season by completing 29-of-38 pass attempts for 320 yards and three touchdowns. His leading receiver was tight end Travis Kelce, who had a team-high 11 targets and caught eight of them for 84 yards and one touchdown.
Veteran running back Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs’ backfield with a team-high nine carries for 20 yards — 2.2 yards per carry — and one touchdown.
Despite not having defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) in the lineup, Kansas City’s defense bottled up Pittsburgh’s offense. The unit sacked Steelers QB Russell Wilson five times, forced two turnovers (interception, forced fumble), and allowed the Steelers to score on just 1-of-4 red zone trips, per ESPN.
Because the two-time defending Super Bowl champions clinched the No. 1 seed, the team will likely sit some of its key starters in Week 18, when the Chiefs travel to face the division-rival Denver Broncos. Though the result of the game won’t impact Kansas City’s standing in the playoffs, there’s a lot on the line for the Broncos.
If Denver (9-7) loses to the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) beat the Steelers (10-6), the Bengals would make the playoffs and the Broncos would be eliminated from playoff contention. If Denver beats Kansas City, then the Broncos will make the playoffs.
Simply put, it’s a “win and you’re in” scenario for Denver in Week 18.
The Chiefs-Broncos Week 18 outing will take place on Sunday, January 5 at 3:25 p.m. Central Time and will be available to watch on CBS.
X Users Chatted About Chiefs Ahead of Week 18 Game
Users on X, formerly Twitter, chatted about the Chiefs, their upcoming game against the Broncos, and their playoff outlook.
“Chiefs have the #2 scoring defense. A qb who could make his 5th SB before he is 30. A coach #2 all time in post-season wins and home field throughout the playoffs and 1 playoff win away from 7th straight AFC title game and people think they are worried about certain teams-haha,” Jay Binkley of 96.5 The Fan wrote.
“Andy Reid doesn’t give a damn about playoff scenarios for other teams,” one person wrote. “If he rests the starters (like he usually does) it’s because it’s right for the Chiefs. There is no team that is in or could be in the playoffs that the Chiefs fear.”
“I feel sooooo much better about the Chiefs going into these playoffs than I have any of the last two years and as good as I’ve felt since like 2019,” another person wrote.
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