Chiefs Injury Report - Three Players Hurt Against Saints

The Chiefs were able to pick up a huge win in New Orleans on Sunday, saving their season and cooling the frustrations of a heated fan base. However, the win came with a big price, as Kansas City lost several players due to injury during the New Orleans game.

Dexter McCluster, Peyton Hillis and Rodney Hudson all left Sunday’s game with an injury, and head coach Romeo Crennel indicated that at this point, he is unsure if any of the three will be able to play this Sunday. McCluster left the game in the second half with an elbow injury, Hillis has an injured ankle, and Hudson has injured his knee.

McCluster has been a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs this season, posting 13 receptions and often finding ways to move the chains with his quickness and speed. What hurts the Chiefs is they have no one who can replace McCluster’s role – Dwayne Bowe and Jonathan Baldwin are bigger, downfield threats and Steve Breaston is more of a possession receiver. Rookie Devon Wylie was supposed to be used in a similar role as McCluster; however he has been hurt most of this season and is not ready for playing time.

Hillis’ injury likely means more playing time for Shaun Draughn, as the team needs to limit the carries of Jamaal Charles. Charles had 39 touches against the Saints, far too many for an explosive back recovering from a serious knee injury. Hillis was signed to be a bruising, between the tackles runner who could give the Chiefs a change of pace from the dynamic Charles and take some of the work load off of him. Draughn had a solid preseason and has looked pretty good so far in a backup role this year.

Hudson, the team’s starting center, was replaced by Ryan Lilja. Lilja normally starts at guard, and was replaced by rookie Jeff Allen after assuming the center duties. To address depth concerns, the team signed offensive lineman Russ Hochstein this week.

This trio of hurt Chiefs join three others on the sideline – safety Kendrick Lewis, nose tackle Anthony Toribio and tight end Kevin Boss. It is still unclear if any of these players will be able to return for Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

Injuries are a part of the NFL, but the Chiefs’ already had some serious depth concerns before losing McCluster, Hillis and Draughn. Some young players are going to have to step up and fill the void if the Chiefs are to pull off another upset and beat the Chargers this weekend.

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Chiefs Win First Game In Dramatic Fashion, Beat Saints In OT

Step away from the ledge, Chiefs fans – Kansas City has won a game! The team picked up a road victory this Sunday against New Orleans in dramatic fashion, finishing the Saints off in overtime after an impressive comeback from a double-digit deficit.

In the third quarter, it appeared that the Chiefs were on their way to an 0-3 start, as the team trailed the Saints by 18 points and had no answer for Drew Brees and the high-powered New Orleans offense. Matt Cassel had just thrown a terrible interception, and the Chiefs offense looked lost. However, the Kansas City coaching staff made a brilliant (and obvious) move to help get the team back in the game – it fed Jamaal Charles the ball. Charles ripped off a 91 yard touchdown run – the longest in team history – to help get the Chiefs back in the game. New Orleans moved the ball on the next drive, however Stanford Routt intercepted an underthrown Brees ball at the goal line.

From there, the Chiefs defense finally looked like the unit it was expected to be this season. Brees never completed another pass, and the Saints offense never got another first down. The fourth quarter belonged to Kansas City, as Ryan Succop hit three field goals in the period and the team also got a safety on a sack from Justin Houston, who had a monster game for the Chiefs. Once overtime started, the Chiefs had all of the momentum, and after the defense once again held the Saints on New Orleans’ first possession, the team found itself with great field position. A few short passes and a gutsy fourth down conversion moved the team into field goal range, where Succop nailed his sixth kick of the day to give Kansas City the win.

Winning this game was obviously huge, but it is the way Kansas City pulled this out that should have fans excited. The team relied on its playmaking running back to move the ball late and stopped asking Matt Cassel to throw the ball down the field, which should be the team’s game plan every week. The most encouraging sign was the play of the defense - the Chiefs absolutely shut down the Saints during the fourth quarter and overtime and looked like one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Kansas City faces a tough schedule this season, but if its defense continues to play well, it should be in every game. This win should give the Chiefs some momentum and badly-needed confidence after the Kansas City media spent all of last week ripping the team.

Up next for the Chiefs is a home game against the San Diego Chargers, who were beaten badly by the Atlanta Falcons yesterday. Kickoff at Arrowhead stadium is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

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