The Kansas City Chiefs are practicing for the first of three times this week in preparation for the Houston Texans in this Saturday’s AFC Wild Card showdown at NRG Stadium. On Tuesday, head coach Andy Reid announced that center Mitch Morse (concussion), outside linebacker Dee Ford (concussion), safety Husain Abdullah (father’s death), outside linebacker Tamba Hali (rest/knee) and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (hip).
J. Maclin, T. Hali, D. Ford and M. Morse will not practice today. Husain Abdullah is excused. All other Chiefs will be on the field.
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) January 5, 2016
Obviously, the biggest name there is Maclin. Hali has been resting throughout the weeks since October, so we know he is going to play on Saturday. Maclin was injured on Sunday in the win over the Oakland Raiders when he jumped for a pass and came down very hard, directly on his hip. Maclin went into the locker room for treatment but then came back and played the rest of the game. Frankly, I would not be overly concerned.
On the flip side, the Chiefs will have outside linebacker Justin Houston back at practice for the second consecutive session. Houston leads the team with 7.5 sacks despite playing in a smidge over 10 games. Houston’s return will be a huge boost for a defense that is already playing at an elite level. When the Texans hosted the Chiefs in Week 1, Houston dominated right tackle Derek Newton.
Justin Houston is going to practice today, Reid says. "I think he feels pretty good."
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) January 5, 2016
We will keep you updated on all the latest happenings throughout the day and week…