Difficult moment last week for Chiefs’ Skyy Moore? Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been there
Mistakes, like Skyy Moore’s muffed punt for the Chiefs in the opening minutes of last week’s loss at the Indianapolis Colts? They happen. Nobody feels worse than the person who blundered.
Teammates know this because they’ve all been there.
“I can’t do anything to make you feel better,” Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire said. “But I can show you all your guys are right here with you.”
Edwards-Helaire has been there for sure. At Baltimore last year, the Chiefs — down by one — had driven into field-goal range. But with about 90 seconds remaining, Edwards-Helaire lost a fumble and the Ravens ran out the clock.
“I ended up losing us the game against the Ravens last year,” Edwards-Helaire said. “It’s a team effort and everybody lost the game, but I’ll always say I feel like that was one me.
“But you try to get that person out of that head space and let him know you we got your back no matter what.”
Moore indeed made a bad decision and allowed a punt to bounce to the 1-yard line. But the Chiefs like what they’ve seen in Moore and likely will live with the growing pains as he gets acclimated to NFL competition.
“Skyy is a guy I really believe is going to be a good punt returner,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub said this week. “He wants to do it. Mistakes happen with young players. I stick with guys. We’re coaches. We’ve got to get them better.”
Looking ahead to the Chiefs’ prime-time meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, here are some players (besides quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady) with storylines to follow:
Chiefs right tackle Andrew Wylie
The Chiefs know their offensive line didn’t measure up to the Bucs’ defense in the Super Bowl two years ago, but as a reminder, Tampa Bay defensive tackle Shaq Barrett said this week that the Chiefs’ haven’t improved in that department. Wylie is the only player from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV O-line who’s set to start at Tampa Sunday. The Chiefs know the task is large, but there figures to be some additional motivation from the players up front.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones
We still don’t know what Jones said to earn that unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the Colts’ game-winning drive, but be assured he’ll carry an additional degree of motivation into this game. With Tom Brady’s quick release, it’s difficult to blitz from the edges, so Jones and the interior line will have to apply pressure up front.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans
Evans missed last week’s game while serving a one-game suspension for his role in a fight with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in Week 2. The Bucs missed him in their 14-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers. And their red-zone struggles continue. Tampa Bay is 28th in red-zone touchdowns this season.
Bucs linebacker Devin White
White was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month after recording 24 tackles and three sacks in September’s games. The Chiefs know White well. He was all over the field in Super Bowl LV, leading the Bucs with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also had one of the Bucs’ two interceptions of Mahomes.
This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Difficult moment last week for Chiefs’ Skyy Moore? Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been there."