The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will be minus a key piece in 2020.
Some football players just have a nose for the end zone. In the case of Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams, that is an attribute that seems to increase once he and his team embark on a postseason run. And that’s why the defending Super Bowl champions could wind up missing the six-year pro this upcoming year.
On Wednesday, the former Oklahoma product decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“As an organization,” said Chiefs’ GM Brett Veach (via Adam Teicher of ESPN), “we certainly understand and respect Damien’s choice, knowing it was made in the best interest of his family. He means a lot to our football team as a player and a person, and we’re going to miss having him around this season.”
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After four seasons in South Florida with the Miami Dolphins, Williams signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2018. This year, he led the club in rushing with 498 yards and tied for the club lead with seven total touchdowns this year.
Chiefs will miss Damien Williams’ postseason production.
But what is pretty astounding is how he come up big come the playoffs. During his brief career, Williams has played in only six postseason games, one with the Dolphins in 2016 and a combined five with Reid’s team the past two years. The numbers are eye-popping as the six-year pro has reached the end zone 11 times in those contests. And he’s scored at least one touchdown in each of those half-dozen games.
Four years ago, Miami fell at Pittsburgh, 30-12, in the wild card round but Williams caught a four-yard TD pass from Matt Moore in the fourth quarter. As a member of the Chiefs and vs. the Indianapolis Colts in the 2018 AFC Divisional Playoffs, he carried 25 times for 129 yards and one score.
A week later vs. the Patriots in the conference title game, he caught a pair of touchdown passes from now highly-paid Patrick Mahomes (via Bill Barnwell of ESPN) and ran for another score in the 37-31 overtime loss.
This postseason, the Chiefs scored a combined 117 points in the three-game sweep of the Texans, Titans and 49ers and the offense totaled 16 trips to the end zone, with Williams scoring six of those touchdowns. In the Super Bowl LIV triumph over San Francisco, he ran for 104 yards and a score and caught four passes for 29 yards and one touchdown in the 31-20 triumph.
Yes, the AFC West’s top dog and the defending Super Bowl champions did use a first-round pick in April on LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. And with Mahomes pulling the trigger, the team’s many offensive weapons are primed for another big year. But it’s hard to ignore the impact that Damien Williams has had in a brief time, especially when it comes to playoff time.