Andy Reid has demonstrated the ability to commit to the run when the matchup presents itself; no opportunity was better than the situation against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. Facing rainy conditions and a run defense that ranked in the bottom 10 in yards per carry allowed and total yards, Reid showcased another wrinkle in the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs offense. The Chiefs ran the ball 46 times -- tied for the highest ever for a Reid coached team -- for 245 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry in a 26-17 win over the Bills.
The 245 rushing yards are the highest total in the Reid-era in Kansas City, and the fifth-highest in Reid's 22 years as a head coach. Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the charge with 26 carries for 161 yards, tied for the third-highest single-game rushing total for a rookie in Chiefs history.
As the Chiefs were pounding the Bills on the ground, Le'Veon Bell -- who signed with the Chiefs last week, but couldn't make his debut due to the league's COVID-19 policy -- showcased his excitement for the offense he'll be joining this week.
I can’t wait 😍
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) October 19, 2020
Bell will be joining Edwards-Helaire in that backfield, not specifically taking carries from the rookie but giving him opportunities to stay fresh throughout the course of the season. The Chiefs have been relying on Edwards-Helaire to carry the rushing attack through the first six games, as he's carried the football 80.5% of the time amongst the designated running backs on the roster.
"Listen, we don't turn away good players, and he's a good one," Reid said of Bell after Monday's win. "So, it's exciting to have him around, and we'll see how he does. He's got to get in and get in the playbook and learn everything, but he's a pretty smart kid and been doing it a long time. So, I don't think he'll have a problem with that.
"I think if you talk to Clyde, Clyde will sleep well tonight, as I think the other backs will. To add one more guy, I don't think any of them will complain there."
Edwards-Helaire had the best game in his short career Monday, becoming just the eighth Chiefs' rookie to have two 100-yard games in a season. He's currently second in the league in rushing yards (505) and 12th amongst running backs in yards per carry (4.7).
"I thought he did a nice job, a real nice job, and I thought he handled the news well," Reid said on Edwards-Helaire's reaction to the Bell signing. "I think they actually talked before anything actually happened, so there was a little communication that I think took place, so I think that's healthy. But anyways, he took it fine. I mean, obviously, he came out and played pretty good, so that was a good thing."
The Chiefs are sixth in the league in rushing, which would easily be the highest ranking in Reid's tenure with the Chiefs. Reid has only had a top-five run offense once, in 2008 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kansas City is 10th in the league in yards per carry, which would be the highest in Reid's tenure with the Chiefs as well.
Reid has a reputation of abandoning the run game in the past, but this year may be a changing of the guard for the Hall of Fame coach. The Chiefs run game is good -- and even better now with Bell in the mix.
"This is me talking, so I didn't think I gave the guys enough of a chance last week with it, especially in the second half," Reid said. "So, we wanted to make sure—you know, we're best when we have some kind of a balance going. When you can go back and forth, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the defense. So, we were able to do both, and we felt like we needed both in this game."
