The Kansas City Chiefs lost yet another offensive lineman in their 20-10 home loss to the Houston Texans, as left tackle Wanya Morris suffered a season-ending left knee injury on the opening snap, according to an ESPN article written by Nate Taylor that cited the network’s Adam Schefter as responsible for the report.
The severity of the injury wasn’t surprising, and it set an ominous tone for the night for Kansas City. Morris had to carted off the field after the play, and he was later seen in the locker room on crutches.
His replacement was undrafted rookie Esa Pole, who held up at times after being elevated to the active roster. Pole had particular success when matched with Texans pass rusher Danielle Hunter, allowing just one pressure in 21 snaps against the Houston Star.
Pole is now on track to make his first NFL start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and if he does he’ll be the Chiefs’ fourth different left tackle to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side.
As well as Pole did against Hunter, the leaky offensive line was one reason Mahomes came away with one of the worst stat lines of his entire career, as he was intercepted three times with a completion rate of under 50 percent.
"Obviously, not where you want to be, but Esa played his tail off, for a guy that had to get activated and be on the roster and go against one of the best pass rushes in the league," Mahomes said Sunday. "He gave me time to throw the ball downfield in some big situations."
The Chiefs patchwork like included three backups—Morris, tackle Jaylon Moore and guard Mike Caliendo. All three had their rough moments, although coach Andy Reid defended their performance, citing the fact that they haven’t had a chance to practice much.
Fellow left tackle Josh Simmons is already on IR with a broken wrist, which means he’ll miss at least four of the Chiefs last give games. Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith has missed back-to-back games with a sprained right ankle, and the Chiefs are at the point where some of their offensive lineman might as well be wearing name tags at this point.
It’s a lot to overcome, but don’t expect a lot of sympathy from the Chargers. They’ve been dominated by the Chiefs in the AFC West for years, and this Sunday represents a chance to put down Kansas City’s playoff homes for good for LA.