The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that wide receiver Sammy Watkins’ hamstring injury is not severe after all, but they’ll know soon enough.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the middle of perhaps the toughest part of their full-season schedule. Coming off of a tough road win at Mile High over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the Chiefs have one less day to get ready for the Jacksonville Jaguars in a showdown that features the best overall defense the team is likely to play in 2018 (depending on how you feel about the L.A. Rams).
Given the depth and talent on the Jags defense, the Chiefs are going to need all the offense firepower they can muster. Unfortunately wide receiver Sammy Watkins had to leave the team’s game in Week 4 due to a hamstring injury and he was unable to return due to the severity of the pain. The lack of a return to the game immediately called into question whether or not he would be able to play in Week 5.
Watkins will undergo an MRI to have a complete diagnosis, but the sentiment among the Chiefs is that there’s reason for optimism. Mike Garafolo stated that Watkins was able to “do some jogging” after the game, a good sign for the Chiefs.
#Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins has yet to undergo an MRI on his hamstring so the full extent is not yet known but he was able to do some jogging last night as they evaluated whether he could return. So the hope is it’s not a severe strain.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 2, 2018
Watkins was the team’s big free agent grab this offseason, a talented wideout brought in to elevate the team’s offense from strong to elite. So far it’s worked wonders as opponents have been frustrated through the first four games. Patrick Mahomes’ talent already makes everyone look better, but it’s proven impossible to defend every weapon on the field when all is well. That includes Watkins being healthy and able to provide a dependable and dangerous target when opponents focus too heavily on Tyreek Hill.
Further details on Watkins will be revealed as the week goes on.