Not much went wrong for Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his debut with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, but there is always room for growth. Despite his stellar showing versus the Houston Texans, Eric Bieniemy iterated that Edwards-Helaire could improve his goal-line rushing moving forward.
“Clyde’s got to do a better job of making [the blockers] right. He understands that,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said, via ESPN's Adam Teicher. “He has to be disciplined and sound with his footwork, and he saw that. I know, if anything, he’s probably the most critical person of his own performance.
In his first career start in the NFL, Edwards-Helaire galloped for a league-leading 138 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The 25 carries were the most by a running back of the Chiefs while Patrick Mahomes has been the starting quarterback.
He also became the youngest running back in NFL history to rush for 130+ yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. As good as the rookie first-round pick played, his numbers could have been even better if he capitalized on his goal-line touches as Bieniemy points out.
“Although it was a good performance, he knows he left some things out there on the field that could have helped us to be better.”
Throughout Kansas City's victory over the Texans, Edwards-Helaire finished with six carries in goal-to-go situations. However, the dynamic running back would turn those six carries into negative two yards.
The Chiefs looked even more lethal on offense in Week 1 with Edwards-Helaire giving the team a dangerous rushing attack this season. And the scary part is, once Edwards-Helaire converts his short-yardage touches, we could see him become even more productive as a rookie.
Follow Us
Subscribe