The Chiefs’ Week 6 bye did not mean a pause in the former-Chiefs watch. It just shifted the focus elsewhere, and there was plenty to track across the league: Joe Thuney’s status in Chicago, Trent McDuffie’s injury in Los Angeles, Hollywood Brown’s disappearing act in Philadelphia, and a brief look at Carson Steele’s latest setback.
Thuney remains the headliner among the ex-Chiefs group, even if the picture is a little messier this season. Kansas City’s decision to move the All-Pro guard to the Bears last offseason was widely questioned, but the cap reality forced the issue.
He was excellent in his first year in Chicago, and now in Year 2, the evaluation has changed some. To get a clearer read on his play, Anthony Miller of Bear Goggles On weighed in.
"Thuney has been good. Not as good as he was last year, as he has allowed a lot of pressures, but a lot of that is having to do with Garrett Bradbury struggling at center. But he's still solid."
That tracks with what Chiefs fans already know about Thuney. He’s long been the lineman who gets asked to patch holes, steady the operation and keep going no matter who’s around him.
According to PFF, he has been charged with 12 pressures allowed and two sacks allowed. That’s a noticeable drop from last year, when he allowed just 15 pressures and did not give up a sack.
Trent McDuffie’s afternoon never got started for the Rams. He was inactive for their Week 6 game against the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium because of a groin injury.
Los Angeles lost again and fell to 2-4, sitting in last place in the NFC West. When the Rams landed McDuffie in the deal with Kansas City, it was framed as another step toward building something bigger.
So far, that plan hasn’t looked the way they hoped. He’s now in the recovery phase, and the Rams will be waiting for him to get back on the field.
The Eagles’ situation with Hollywood Brown has gone from underwhelming to outright strange. Philadelphia has been battered by injuries and has dropped four straight after opening 2-0, but Brown still hasn’t found a real role.
Wide receiver has actually been one of the healthier spots on the roster, and Brown has been inactive for all but one game. His stat line is almost hard to believe: two carries on the season.
Carries, not catches.
That makes his fit in Philadelphia look even worse, and the idea that the Eagles regret the signing is hard to avoid. Brown is already being floated as a possible trade candidate, and that naturally raises the question of whether Kansas City could factor into his future if things keep heading in this direction.
Carson Steele’s latest chance in Philadelphia ended almost as quickly as it began. With the Eagles thin at running back, he was in line for meaningful work in Week 6.
He got one carry, gained four yards, and then left with a shoulder injury. For a player trying to turn a temporary opening into something more, it was a brutal stop-start outcome.
In Other News...
Chiefs Are Winning Ugly Again And That Could Mean Something
The Chiefs have spent most of 2026 looking more familiar in the one way that has mattered most: they keep finding a way to win the tight ones. After a bruising 2025 season in which close-game losses piled up and exposed issues on offense, defense and special teams, Kansas City has steadied itself by surviving a string of narrow finishes. The record does not suggest a team that has cleaned everything up, but it does suggest a group that has rediscovered how to handle pressure when the game tightens late.
Patrick Mahomes has remained central to that resilience, and Kenneth Walker has helped give the offense another layer as Kansas City tries to navigate the rest of the season. The early part of the schedule gave the Chiefs a softer landing, which matters when a team is trying to rebuild confidence after a bad year, but the path ahead looks far less forgiving. If the late-game formula is real, the Chiefs may be building something sturdier than a lucky run, and the next stretch will go a long way toward showing it. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Face A Familiar Receiver Temptation They Should Resist
With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton sidelined, the Chiefs have spent the past week looking at their wide receiver depth a little more closely than they probably wanted to. Justin Watson has rejoined the group, which helps restore a familiar body to the room, but it has also revived the broader conversation about whether Kansas City should look outside the building for another option at the position.
Hollywood Brown is the name hovering around that discussion, and it is an understandable temptation for a team that always wants more answers at receiver. Still, the better move may be to stay patient and keep leaning into the young players already in the pipeline, especially after the bye gave them a chance to show they can help. For a Chiefs offense trying to hold steady through injuries, the question is not just who is available, but whether chasing another familiar name would actually be the smartest way forward. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Mourn Allen Bailey After Tragic Death At 37
Allen Baileys death has added a somber note to the Chiefs week, with the former defensive lineman remembered as much for his presence in the locker room as for his work on the field. Drafted by Kansas City in 2011, Bailey spent years with the organization and left behind the kind of reputation that still resonates when former players are discussed around the team.
The news was first reported by his brother, who said Bailey was found dead at his home in Florida. No official cause of death has been released yet, leaving the Chiefs and those who knew him waiting for answers while they reflect on a career that clearly meant something to people inside the building. Andy Reid was among those who offered condolences, pointing to Baileys character and the impact he had during his time in Kansas City. [Read more 🡒]