Patrick Mahomes leads long list of injured Kansas City Chiefs
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs have suffered an incredible amount of injuries so far this season, many of them coming in the team’s Week 5 game against the Colts.
Not only was Sunday night a miserable night overall for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the loss to the Indianapolis Colts also included a series of several injuries, many of which might end up carrying over into the future for a team that’s already dealing with a number of players with injury concerns.
The foremost player to watch for signs of lingering injury for the Chiefs is the team’s most important player: Patrick Mahomes. The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player first rolled his ankle in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and it’s a been a sore spot (pun not intended) ever since.
In Week 5, however, Cameron Erving was backed into Mahomes in the second half that ended up making his ankle worse than before. From there, Mahomes was physically limping back to the sideline and the injury obviously affected his ability to make plays and get outside the pocket.
Here’s what happened to Patrick Mahomes’ ankle on that last drive: pic.twitter.com/OaSnu94DLC
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) October 7, 2019
Beyond Mahomes, there’s a long list of Chiefs players who need attending to this week. The Chiefs are going to be hoping for a very short recovery time for all of these players or else things could look pretty frustrating again next week against the Houston Texans. Here’s our rundown of the rest of the walking wounded for the Chiefs.
It’s possible that the Chiefs are playing things ultra safe with their top wideout. Hill is the most electric offensive weapon on the team, but he’s been missing in action since the first quarter of the first game of the season with a sternoclavicular dislocation. Basically he’s considered week to week despite practicing and looking good in drills. It should not surprise anyone if he returns next week to provide an outlet for an offense that is clearly missing its top playmaker.
What began as a groin injury turned into core muscle concern and then it was a sports hernia injury. Whatever it is that’s keeping Fisher out is likely to last another couple weeks based on an original timeline, but the Chiefs line looked downright pathetic at times on Sunday night against the Colts. Erving, Fisher’s primary backup, was used and abused on several downs and the Chiefs will be thrilled to get Fisher back.
For a team already hurting on the left side, the loss of Wylie was extra tough to stomach late in the Colts game. Wylie was taken out of the game due to an ankle injury and was officially listed as questionable to return. Perhaps that’s good news that he can return in short order and play Houston in Week 6. If he must sit out, the timeline here is unlikely to be long.
When Hill was declared out for several weeks, the good news for the Chiefs was that they still had playmakers in spades. Sammy Watkins’ presence on this roster allowed the Chiefs to move forward as if nothing big was wrong knowing that they still had a 1A on the roster. Recently he’s been battling a shoulder issue which had him questionable for the night’s game. He ended up seeing a trainer and sitting shortly after the game started. Without Hill and Watkins, the offense was clearly limited even more. This is a key issue to watch.
Okafor was inactive for the game due to a hip injury and it’s clear the injury is worse than Andy Reid first realized. After the team’s Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions, the Chiefs head coach didn’t believe Okafor’s injury to be all that bad and said he’d be fine, but now a team that could have used anybody along the line was forced to miss a starting end. Hopefully he can return next week.
If there’s one injury on this list to frighten Chiefs Kingdom more than others, it’s this one. At least Mahomes was still playing down to the wire. The loss of Jones, however, was a quick one. He seemed to have a groin injury that took him to the sidelines during the second half on Sunday night. From there, the Chiefs were quick to label him as “out” which means they might already have a good idea of the severity. Of course, nothing is certain until details come through but Chiefs fans will be waiting impatiently and praying fervently for good news.
As if the defensive line wasn’t already shaken up enough, Xavier Williams, a veteran defensive tackle, was declared out for the game after suffering an ankle injury during the first half. Given the damage done to Jones and Okafor as well, it might be interesting to see if Brett Veach brings in some free agent help here.
Speaking of groin injuries, Anthony Hitchens is arguably the most talented linebacker on the roster, but he’s going to be sidelined with the same thing that knocked Jones out as well. While the Chiefs have linebacking depth, Hitchens is a starter and a tough performer to replace given the current talent level.
Another linebacker who primarily plays on special teams, O’Daniel being out means the Chiefs are down another man in the heart of the defense. This is a unit within which depth could soon become an issue with further losses.
There are other injuries to note for the Chiefs, including the fact that Frank Clark was forced to sit for a series. Damien Williams, the team’s starting running back just returned after missing several weeks due to injury. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland has been dealing with a toe injury, while running back LeSean McCoy has had a sore ankle.
While the Chiefs have a lot of game film to watch and learn from, the reality is that nothing is more important than the health of this team. The schedule doesn’t let up anytime soon with the bye week still more than a month away. Instead the Chiefs are going to have just grin and bear it as they deal with injuries and hope that the list doesn’t get any longe than it is already.
Next. The Chiefs deserved to lose that game. dark