The Kansas City Chiefs have to be concerned with the status of Sammy Watkins and a foot injury that seems to be a lot worse than anyone has let on.
If you saw Sammy Watkins in the Kansas City Chiefs loss to the L.A. Rams on Monday night, you were watching the game early. That’s because the Chiefs wide receiver was a no-show after some early snaps—a sign that an issue that was once termed as no big deal is now turning into something bigger.
Watkins first injured his foot late in Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns. In the fourth quarter, Watkins caught a short pass from Patrick Mahomes and he somehow hurt his foot trying to stretch it for a longer gain to get the first down. Watkins sat the rest of the game yet early word was that it was “not a serious injury,” per Ian Rapoport.
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The following week featured an MRI for Watkins to see whether or not there was any real damage and the subsequent reports indicated that Watkins could play but that the Chiefs wanted to be cautious with their big investment (remember Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million deal in the offseason). As the Chiefs were only facing the lowly Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, it made sense for them to exercise caution and have Watkins sit.
Heading into Week 11, Watkins was supposed to be fine after getting a chance to rest, but it became clear as the week went on that something was amiss. Watkins practiced on Thursday but missed Friday and Saturday as the Chiefs prepared with a bit more time for Monday night’s showdown.
Even before the game, no one was sure whether or not Watkins would play until a trainer cleared him early Monday evening to play and word was that he would start. Yet after those early reps, Watkins was nowhere to be found on the field.
This is all bad news for the Chiefs who could most certainly use a healthy Watkins for not only the stretch run but the postseason. This is why they acquired him. Even late in the Rams game, it was clear that the Chiefs needed one more playmaker in order to put them over the top. Defenses can double team Tyreek Hill and take out a deep threat. Travis Kelce remains an option, although even he dropped a couple late passes. Watkins’ presence in the mix makes defending against the Chiefs an impossible task.
The Chiefs are now at their bye week which means that Watkins will get nearly two full weeks to rest before being called upon again. It’s also true that the Chiefs face the Oakland Raiders next, so perhaps there’s a bit of comfort knowing they can continue to take it easy if need be.
But Watkins and Chiefs Kingdom were hoping that the wide receiver had put such injuries behind him before arriving in K.C. He has quickly become such an important target and the Chiefs offense isn’t quite the same without him.