Chiefs’ Charles practices, still listed as questionable

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, who is on the injury report with a sprained ankle, practiced with the starters on Friday, but coach Andy Reid wasn’t certain how much, if any, Charles will be able to play on Sunday at Miami.

Charles was listed as questionable for the game.

“We’re going to see how he feels after this practice,” Reid said. “He moved around and did a decent job. He looked a little sore, but he did OK. Jamaal wanted to try it (Wednesday), we limited him … and he did some work (Friday) with the ones, and he did some with the scout team, too.

“We’ll evaluate how he feels, let the docs and trainers make a decision … we appreciate his effort. He came in and pushed through this thing, and we’ll make a decision after that.”

Second-year back Knile Davis took the first snap in practice that was open to the media on Friday, but Charles received snaps after that. Charles, who suffered the injury in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game at Denver, declined interview requests on Friday.

Meanwhile, free safety Eric Berry, who also has a sprained ankle, and running back De’Anthony Thomas, who has a hamstring strain, were declared out for Sunday. Thomas, who missed the first two games, practiced on Wednesday before he was shut down on Thursday and Friday.

“He didn’t re-injure it … it’s more precautionary,” Reid said of Thomas. “He’s already waited a couple of weeks and you don’t want any setbacks. It’s just a judgment. You go off of how the player feels, and what you see and your experience with it.”

Go for one or two? — Reid left no doubt what he would have done had the Chiefs scored a touchdown in the final seconds and drawn within 24-23 last Sunday at Denver.

Play for overtime with an extra point or go for the win with a two-point conversion.

“I was going to go for two,” Reid said on Friday, with no hesitation.

Overcoming 0-2 starts — The odds of reaching the playoffs after starting 0-2 are not in the Chiefs’ favor. Since 1990, just 12 percent of teams that started 0-2 qualified for the postseason since the current playoff format was introduced.

In all, 23 teams have started 0-2 and reached the postseason since 1990. Last season, the Carolina Panthers started 0-2 and went on to win the NFC South after finishing 12-4.

Reid has started 0-2 three times in his 15 years as a head coach, including 2003 when his Philadelphia Eagles reached the NFC championship game.

The 1993 Dallas Cowboys started 0-2 before winning Super Bowl XXVIII. The 0-2 New England Patriots of 1996 played in Super Bowl XXXI. In 2001, the 0-2 Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI. The 2007 New York Giants started 0-2 before winning Super Bowl XLII

The Chiefs have started 0-2 eight times since 2001 and made the playoffs once in those years — 2006 when they finished 9-7 and qualified for a wild-card spot.

So while history may not be on the Chiefs’ side, tight end Travis Kelce said: “History is also meant to be made. Let’s see what happens.”

Confident in Santos — Chiefs special-teams coordinator Dave Toub reiterated the club’s confidence in rookie kicker Cairo Santos, who has made just two of four field-goal attempts in the first two games of the season.

“We have to go back and remember the body of work he showed us in training camp and in the exhibition games,” Toub said of Santos, who beat out veteran Ryan Succop for the place-kicking job.

“If we brought five kickers in from the street right now, and he was one of them, he’d still be the best kicker out of that group. We still believe in Cairo. He just needs confidence. He needs to get some kicks under his belt and get into a groove, and I think he’ll be fine.”

Among the kickers who are available are Rob Bironas, who spent nine years at Tennessee, and Alex Henery, a fourth-round pick by Andy Reid in Philadelphia in 2011.

The Chiefs haven’t indicated they’re ready to start auditioning kickers. Yet.

“Well you know the NFL, you’re going to be patient to a point,” Toub said. “He knows there’s a sense of urgency. He understands that. We’re going to keep being patient at this point.”

Santos made all three of his field-goal tries in preseason and made a 35-yarder off the right upright and missed a 48-yarder off the left upright against Tennessee; and he made a 45-yarder at Denver but missed a 37-yarder at the end of a 10-minute drive in the third quarter against the Broncos.

“He’s got to remember all the kicks he’s made,” Toub said. “He earned a job. He beat a good player out. He’s a good kicker, and he’s going to be kicking in this league, and hopefully it’s still with us.”

Santos made all seven of his field-goal attempts between 35 and 45 yards during the portion of practice that was open to the media on Thursday.

This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Charles practices, still listed as questionable."