Broncos

Broncos QB Bo Nix is back in the playoffs for the second time in his first two seasons and hopes to extend his postseason record after a first-round elimination in his rookie year.

“Playoffs is one thing,” Nix said, via BroncosWire.com. “Going on the road to a tough Buffalo team, you can take a lot of experiences from that [with] everything you learned. You get there and you start playing, you’re like, ‘This is just the same competitive football that we’ve been playing, now there’s just a little bit more at stake.’ I think it was better… [I’d] much rather have played a game last year in the playoffs than not, and this time being my first one. I think playing at home, it’ll be my first home one. That’ll be a little bit different, but I think it’ll do nothing but help. The away experience from last year, just understanding how nothing really changes and it’s the next week, next opponent. The good thing is that you can’t look forward, so you don’t even have a choice. There’s no opponent next. You have to wait for that weekend to finish out. For me, it’s just the next game and the next game and the next game. Fortunately for us, we have two weeks and we can rest a little bit this week and then prepare and have a good week next week. It’s like winning a playoff game this week, so it’s huge having that bye and also you get an extra playoff check.”

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes the Broncos are raving about both DC Vance Joseph and QB coach Davis Webb and consider both present and future head coaching material. Webb could skip the line and land a head coaching job but Fowler thinks it’s more likely he’s hired as an offensive coordinator somewhere first. 
• Fowler also notes that Broncos GM George Paton is entering the last year of his contract. While signs point to him staying in Denver, he doesn’t have an extension yet and Fowler says Paton would be in high demand if he became available. 

Chiefs

Chiefs HC Andy Reid commented on the team’s shortcomings during a recent video call with reporters.

“We had 10 or so games that were determined by seven points or less, you know, one score, and those were the seven we won last year. Why? You go back and look at penalties in crucial situations, turnovers in crucial situations, those things,” said Reid, via ChiefsWire.com. “You’ve got to really evaluate those and the whys of that and dropped balls and long drives  – including everybody – the end of game drives that you could’ve either scored on or were scored on or special teams put you in a position – you’ve got to look at all those things. So, that’s part of the evaluation process going into the offseason. Make sure we narrow that thing up and make sure we’re on the right end of it.”

“We’ll do what’s necessary to make ourselves better, which is what I can tell you. We’ll take every measure that we feel are right, we’ll take.” Reid added. “We do that through intense evaluation, and that’s how we’ve tried to address everything, and we won’t change that as we go into it.”

• Reid on QB Patrick Mahomes‘ rehab: “He’s doing great for just being 3 weeks out. He’ll go ahead & most likely stay up here (in KC) rehabbing. He has a lot of trust in (Julie Frymyer). He’s been in there grinding.” (Taylor)
• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Chiefs OC Matt Nagy could bet on himself and leave Kansas City for a play-calling job as an offensive coordinator elsewhere, even if he doesn’t land another head coaching gig. 
• Fowler mentions former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury as an option to reunite with Mahomes with the Chiefs. 
• The Chiefs hosted DE Warren Peeples for a workout, per the NFL Transactions wire. 

Raiders

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby addressed the firing of HC Pete Carroll while appearing on a recent podcast episode, noting that he admires Carroll and hasn’t fully processed the team’s decision to move on.

“I haven’t had time to really process it, to be honest,” Crosby told Jim Gray. “I just found out. I’m here in the building, and I literally see it pop up on the TV. So it was kind of gloomy, I would say. It’s something that I’ve been a part of before, but just to speak on Pete, this season didn’t go the way we expected it at all. From the players to the coaches, I don’t think anybody expected we would be in this position and getting the number one pick, to be honest. But I will say, you know, the one thing I did admire about Pete is he was, I mean, consistent as they come. He has won for such a long time. He is a Super Bowl champion. He won a national championship at USC. He has been an incredible coach, and he has had an incredible journey. So, unfortunately, this thing didn’t work out the way we expected it, but he has done an incredible job and had an incredible career, and he was always awesome to me. Still gonna have that relationship regardless. Had a lot of coaches in my time, to say the least, but all of those coaches, you take something from them, you learn something from them. And just we’re back to the process again and trying to figure out whatever that’s gonna be. I wish him the best. As I said, he was always incredible to me and treated me amazingly. Big shout out to Coach Pete, and we’ll see what happens next.”

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