For the most part, things are going great for the Kansas City Chiefs in their wild card game against the Houston Texans. They lead 20-0 late in the third quarter, and nothing the Texans have done indicates that they’re even remotely capable of pulling off a comeback.
But on the same play that Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt exited the game with an injury, Kansas City’s top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, was carted off of the field.
JUST IN: Jeremy Maclin is out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury, via @JamesPalmerTV. pic.twitter.com/aUG0zibunq
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 9, 2016
That’s never a good sign. But as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports indicated, Maclin’s reaction to the injury, along with his history, makes things even worse.
Have to fear for the worst for Jeremy Maclin as well as he tears up after injury. He's been through serious knee injuries before
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 9, 2016
If Maclin is indeed hurt and forced to miss games, that’s a crushing blow for the Chiefs. Even though a win in this game looks virtually secured right now, Kansas City will have to face either the Denver Broncos or New England Patriots on the road in the second round.
Without Jeremy Maclin, the Chiefs offensive attack becomes more predictable and the task of winning a road playoff game becomes even more difficult.
Maclin caught 87 passes for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season and became one of Alex Smith’s favorite weapons in the second half of the campaign.