The Kansas City Chiefs will still win plenty of games without Justin Houston.
Losing Houston for any amount of time is a bad thing for the Chiefs, but it is not the end of the world. Even taking off the Chiefs-colored glasses we all own, it’s obvious that the team is still in a great position to do big things in 2016.
First, Houston could be back and not miss a game. Kansas City trainer Rick Burkholder has stated to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the ACL was not torn. Also, the recovery time from right now is 5-11 months. Even if he misses time, smart money says he’s back by midseason.
Second, Kansas City lost Houston for the final six games of last year and won all of them. The Chiefs also pounded on the Oakland Raiders twice in that stretch. In the playoffs, Houston was insanely limited (and now we know why) and the Chiefs crushed the Texans, 30-0 before fighting in a 27-20 loss to the New England Patriots.
If Houston can come back by the middle of the season, get healthy and be a force in the playoffs, all is good for the Chiefs. They can survive with Tamba Hali and Dee Ford in the meantime, plsu whoever comes in the draft this April. It’s never fun to lose a star, but it’s the NFL, and it happens to everyone.