Kansas City Chiefs activated Clyde Edwards-Helaire from injured reserve and running back is expected to play for the first time since Week 5 when coach Andy Reid’s side face off against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. 

After Edwards-Helaire spent most of the past two weeks practising, the 22-year-old was expected to make his return to the team. He hurt his ankle against the Buffalo Bills and was designated to return last week against the Los Angeles Raiders but sat out another game.

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Following Edwards-Helaire’s injury, Darrel Williams had been the primary running back but despite catching nine passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders, Williams has just 343 yards rushing on 95 attempts. Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire has 304 yards on 65 attempts to remain second on the team in rushing. Williams is likely to return to his role as Edwards-Helaire’s backup, particularly on third downs.

Edwards-Helaire, a former first-round pick, nevertheless should provide a big boost to a struggling Chiefs offence that finally showed some signs of life in Las Vegas. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes shook off the worst two-game slump of his career as a starter to throw for 406 yards and five touchdowns without an interception in a 41-14 victory over the Raiders.

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Talking about Edwards-Helaire’s preparations ahead of the Dallas game, Reid said on Friday, “He had a good week of practice.”

The win pushed the Chiefs (6-4) back into first place in the AFC West with the Cowboys (7-2) coming to town.

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“I’ve been really encouraged by the performance of the team over the last few weeks, particularly in Las Vegas. It was good to see the offence get back in sync,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said this week, the Associated Press reported. “On the defensive side, the gradual improvement that we’ve made over the last five weeks has reminded me a little of the improvement the defence made in 2019,” when the Chiefs ended a 50-year championship drought by beating the 49ers in the Super Bowl.

With inputs from the Associated Press