While the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the playoffs with an emphatic 30-0 victory over the Houston Texans, it did come with a cost. Receiver Jeremy Maclin left the game early with a leg injury, and the Chiefs are not necessarily optimistic about his pending MRI, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin not in pain, but KC worried about right knee injury. Maclin scheduled for MRI on Sun; tore right ACL twice before.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2016
The loss of Maclin would be a crushing loss for the Chiefs. It would make an already difficult task of beating the Patriots or Broncos on the road even more difficult.
Maclin’s 87 receptions, 1,o88 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns all led the team. In 2014, while Maclin was still a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs didn’t complete a single touchdown pass to a receiver.
While Travis Kelce is a fine tight end, Maclin’s absence would surely mean that Kelce would draw extra attention next weekend. This would mean quarterback Alex Smith would be forced to throw to Albert Wilson, or utilize the rushing abilities of Chardandrick West and Spencer Ware.