While the Pittsburgh Steelers are a healthy team to this point in the season, the Kansas City Chiefs certainly can’t echo that sentiment. After their Week 5 win over the Houston Texans, Andy Reid’s crew has some big name injuries to watch leading up to kickoff in Week 6.
As the team prepares for their first practice of the week, some of those big name players, namely Travis Kelce and Justin Houston, missed practice with their respective maladies.
This from Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation’s Chiefs website:
Travis Kelce is in the concussion protocol. He was at the Chiefs fashion show on Tuesday night, according to Pete Sweeney, so maybe there’s some hope for him to play this weekend. I don’t have the exact numbers but my memory tells me that most Chiefs who have a concussion miss a game.
Justin Houston is out with calf spasms. I have no idea if he will be out this weekend against the Steelers or not. You hope that he’s just a veteran getting a day or two off in the middle of the season. Losing Houston would be problematic, to say the least.
WR Albert Wilson also has a sprained knee. The Chiefs can get by without him but he’s turned into a valuable piece for the offense.
Also missing is C Mitch Morse and G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who both remain out, and S Steven Terrell who is in the concussion protocol.
Note who IS practicing: LB Dee Ford. He missed a couple of games but it appears he is on his way back. If Houston can’t play, they need Ford.
The injury bug certainly hit Kansas City hard, and it is tough to truly gauge if players dealing with concussions will be able to return to practice, let alone a game. Within the NFL’s strict protocol, players must start to work their way back by slowly increasing their workload, and progressing, without any reoccurring symptoms of the concussion. In other words, if Kelce or Terrell, both dealing with concussions, don’t practice at some point this week, there is a good chance they miss the Week 4 game.
As for Houston, I doubt a veteran like him would miss a big game vs. the Steelers due to calf spasms, but you never know. If Kelce and/or Houston miss the game Sunday it would have huge implications towards the outcome of the Steelers vs. Chiefs AFC showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.
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