Kansas City Chiefs’ CEH impressed with improbable TD run. But here’s his injury update
Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Nick Allegretti entered the game as an extra tackle but couldn’t hold his block, which meant Pittsburgh linebacker Alex Highsmith was right in the path of Kansas City running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Highsmith wasn’t the only one. The Steelers’ Robert Spillane timed his run to the backfield perfectly, meeting Edward-Helaire with a blow two yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Neither man — nor their force — could stop Edwards-Helaire on this second-and-goal run late in the first quarter, though, as the Chiefs second-year back bounced off both, breaking free to the outside for a one-yard touchdown run that set the tone for a dominant Chiefs first half in their 36-10 home victory on Sunday over the Steelers.
Edwards-Helaire could sense the play was exceptional in the moment. He hurdled into the end zone in celebration, then, after another leap, spiked the ball emphatically with his right hand before flexing his biceps in front of his body.
Advanced metrics confirmed that Edwards-Helaire had just completed a rare feat. ESPN’s Seth Walder reported that Edwards-Helaire had just a 17% chance of scoring at the time of the handoff, according to NFL’s Next Generation Stats, which made it the third-most unlikely one-yard touchdown run of the NFL season.
This also continued a recent Edwards-Helaire scoring surge. The former first-round pick’s rushing TD was his fourth in his last five games; before that, he’d had no rushing touchdowns in his previous eight contests.
He was injured shortly after, however. CBS cameras showed Edwards-Helaire going to the locker for evaluation after suffering what the team reported as a collarbone injury in the third quarter.
At first, KC listed him as questionable to return, but late in the third quarter, Edwards-Helaire was downgraded to out.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported late Sunday that preliminary X-rays of Edwards-Helarie’s collarbone were negative. Rapoport said that Edwards-Helaire was set for an MRI on Monday, but coach Andy Reid had no update on the running back’s condition during his weekly Monday debrief with media.
Edwards-Helaire had seven carries for 18 yards in the first half, helping the Chiefs to a 23-0 lead at intermission. He finished with nine rushes for 27 yards and one reception for four yards.
This story was originally published December 26, 2021 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Kansas City Chiefs’ CEH impressed with improbable TD run. But here’s his injury update."
