With their ‘Monday Night Football’ win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, the Kansas City Chiefs extended their undefeated start to the 2024 NFL season to five games. However, unlike previous games, this performance appeared to be more satisfying for Andy Reid.
Even without key weapons due to injury, the Chiefs‘ offense looked sharp as many players stepped up. While Kareem Hunt and JuJu Smith-Schuster took much of the limelight, Reid made sure to give recognition to Samaje Perine.
“Welcome to the crew there,” Reid said of Perine, who made a big play after catching a lateral pass from Travis Kelce in the second quarter. The play wasn’t scripted, so the veteran running back’s quick reaction deserved credit.
The Chiefs head coach also had a subtle warning for the 29-year-old, while still expressing his overall satisfaction with Perine’s performance: “He had another one where I was told those guys keep running because when Pat starts moving around, you got to stay on the run. He got caught kind of pulling up thinking the play was over. And that’s pretty amazing with that ball. So, it’s a good lesson to learn. But then he came back and did a nice job on that play.”
Perine joined the Chiefs as a free agent ahead of the 2024 NFL season after being released by the Denver Broncos during roster cuts. His presence gives Kansas City more depth at the RB room, running from behind Hunt and Carson Steele after Isiah Pacheco’s injury. On Monday, his catch from Kelce’s lateral counted for 24 yards.
Samaje Perine reveals Kelce’s lateral pass was improvised
Perine may have not intervened so much in the Chiefs’ latest win, but his lone catch gave plenty to talk about. Reid and Patrick Mahomes made it clear to Kelce that they’ll encourage the lateral passes as long as they end in a completion, as both explained it’s something they practice every day.
Perine also saw Kelce practice this more than once, but revealed that the tight end completely improvised in that moment of the game: “It was not scripted. I can tell you that much. I saw him do it a couple of times — he does it in practice — so I was like, ‘Let me stay in phase — just in case.’ And sure enough, I saw him switch the ball and wind his arm back — and I was just ready for it.”
Remembering Reid’s praise for Perine earlier this year
While Reid’s “welcome” message comes after Week 5, the Chiefs head coach had already shown nothing but praise for Perine shortly after he was added to the roster.
“We all know what he did to us when he was at Cincinnati with that screen play, but Samaje’s done this over his career, where he’s been a phenomenal third-down back, but he’s also a good runner,” Reid said in September.
“I think that, you know, that he’s really a good person. I mean, that word has traveled around the National Football League on what kind of guy he is, a locker room guy, and so on. We welcome that, but the opportunity to have a guy in here that can do the run game and the pass game, I just think he’s a good, well-rounded football player that’s extremely intelligent, that is a great addition that [general manager] Brett [Veach] added to the team.”