When it rains, it pours, so further misery should have been expected by the Kansas City Chiefs upon taking the field in Week 16 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The Chiefs are visiting the Tennessee Titans in the first of three games to end the season that will mean nothing in the playoff picture. The Chiefs were ousted from contention a week ago by the L.A. Chargers, and to make matters worse, Patrick Mahomes was lost to a torn ACL in the final minutes of the game. Now in the first half against Tennessee, there are further quarterback concerns in Week 16.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered a knee injury in the first quarter against the Titans but remained in the game despite a noticeable limp. However, he was eventually taken out after things got worse, and trainers worked on him in the blue medical tent. He was taken to the locker room in the second quarter, and the Chiefs designated him as questionable to return.
In Minshew's place, the Chiefs are turning to Chris Oladokun to carry the offense. Oladokun has served as the scout team quarterback for each of the last three seasons and has only a single appearance in 2024 under his belt. He took five snaps in a season-ending game against the Denver Broncos in Week 18 and had a five-yard rush and took a five-yard sack without a single pass attempt.
The Chiefs' misery continues in Tennessee with a knee injury for Gardner Minshew.
The loss of Minshew is unfortunate for K.C., because any late-season evaluation of the offense is stunted at this point. Despite losing Mahomes, these last three games are still very important for younger players to continue to develop. In addition, Minshew is only signed for the 2025 season, but given Mahomes' recovery timeline, it would make sense for K.C. to view these final contests as a potential tryout for further commitment to Minshew as a bridge quarterback who could potentially start early in '26.
For now, the Chiefs are cobbling together an offense with multiple spare parts along the offensive line, quarterback, and the skill positions. Receivers like Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton are dealing with concussions, and Xavier Worthy is playing through injuries. Both tackles are the backups of backups, with Esa Pole and Chu Godrick handling the bookends. It's a tough stretch for K.C., to say the least.
At this point, tight end Noah Gray would turn into the emergency quarterback for the Chiefs if something happened to Oladokun. That sounds drastic, but the offense is already there. If the unit is able to put together anything noteworthy, it will be a surprise, even against the two-win Titans defense.
Here's hoping Minshew's injury isn't significant and that he's able to make his way back onto the field at some point before the season is over.