The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed a relaxing weekend after already handling their Week 13 business on Black Friday, beating the Las Vegas Raiders to the tune of a 19-17 final score. With two extra days of rest, the defending Super Bowl Champions will look to keep the ball rolling when they host the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
When the AFC West rivals collide in Week 14, Chiefs fans should expect to see more of rookie Jaden Hicks. The first-year safety’s performance has been improving with each passing week, leading to Monday’s ringing endorsement from head coach Andy Reid.
Chiefs News: Andy Reid Praises Jaden Hicks
On Monday afternoon, Reid had nothing but good things to say about Hicks’ recent performance. The 66-year-old coach even went as far as saying the rookie safety has the “right” to an increased role based on what he’s done on the gridiron.
“(Hicks is) a good player. Him working in there is a positive,” Reid said about the rookie defender, per A to Z Sports’ Charles Goldman. “He’s a young guy who is progressing. The coaches trust him. We’ll see how things go moving forward. He’s earned the right to play more.”
#Chiefs HC Andy Reid on S Jaden Hicks' increased playtime: "He's a good player. Him working in there is a positive. Again, he's a young guy who is progressing. The coaches trust him. We'll see how things go moving forward. He's earned the right to play more moving forward."
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) December 2, 2024
After being stuck in a special teams role to begin his NFL career, Hicks has seen more defensive opportunities lately. The ex-Washington State product went from playing 38 total defensive snaps in his first eight appearances to at least 12 in each of his last four outings, culminating in a season-high 24 against the Raiders on Friday.
It’s taken some time for him to become comfortable as a professional, but Hicks is starting to put everything together. The 2024 133rd-overall pick has tallied 12 solo tackles, one interception, and a broken-up pass in his first 12 games while carrying grades of 74.8 for overall defense and 73.4 for coverage on Pro Football Focus.
That’s without bringing up his impressive 84.4 tackling grade after making good on every single one of his attempts thus far.
Hicks is thriving under Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s guidance, so let’s hope he can maintain his momentum down the stretch as his playing opportunities increase.
The rookie safety’s next test comes against the Chargers, who the Chiefs already defeated 17-10 at SoFi Stadium back in Week 4. Hicks played only played five defensive snaps in that victory, though, leaving time to tell how much action he’ll see this time around.
Regardless of how many snaps Hicks plays, all signs point to a celebration happening in Kansas City. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing the Chiefs as the 3.5-point home favorites in a game where their -200 moneyline odds carry an implied win probability of 66.7%.
