The Kansas City Chiefs sat back and watched the dominoes fall on Thursday and Sunday as the rest of the league played out their Week 5 schedules. Now, Kansas City looks to close out Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season with its road game against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite the Chiefs' focus on the task at hand in North Florida, Kansas City's players and coaches undoubtedly had their eyes set on the Detroit Lions' Week 5 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs will host Dan Campbell's team for what has the potential to be a high-flying Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 6, and it never hurts to get a sneak peek at what next week's opponent is all about.
Lions Could be Missing Special Teams Star Against Chiefs in Week 6
While no one ever wants to see players go down with an injury, the visitors could be forced to take the field next weekend without a key contributor in uniform after leaving Detroit's win over Cincinnati with an injury. Lions WR/PR Kalif Raymond was carted off the field early in the win over the Bengals with a neck injury, leaving his status for next week up in the air.
While the team acknowledged that the injury isn't too serious, franchises tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to neck injuries. When asked about Raymond's injury and his status moving forward, Coach Campbell was non-committal about having him on the field in Week 6.
"I can't tell you [if he'll play] next week, but this does not feel like some serious (thing). That doesn't mean he'll play next week, but it's good news," Campbell said after the game, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. "As a matter of fact, he told me, 'That didn't feel too good, but I'm good.'"
Raymond was injured while returning a punt with roughly three minutes left in the first quarter. He had his head down when he collided with Bengals RB Samaje Perine. While Raymond was able to stand up and walk off the field under his own power, he was ultimately carted to the locker room after being evaluated by the team's medical staff. Raymond was initially listed as questionable to return, but Detroit's coaching staff ultimately chose to shut him down for the afternoon.
Should Raymond be unable to play in Week 6, an already solid special teams coverage unit will only receive a boost. Entering Week 5, Kansas City has punted the ball 10 times, with only three of those being returned by the opposition for a total of 31 yards. The Chiefs rank in the top half of the NFL in punt return defense, and that standing should only improve against a Raymond-less Lions special teams unit.
While the 31-year-old has not been much of a factor in the passing game thus far, he has six receptions for 47 yards. Raymond has been one of the best punt returners in the league in his five years with the Lions. After earning All-Pro honors as a punt returner in 2022 and 2024, he showcased his big-play expertise with a 65-yard punt returned for a touchdown in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns.
Of course, injuries are never positive news, but they're an inevitable part of the game. And whenever you go against a fellow Super Bowl contender like the Lions, you want to get as big an edge as you can.