The Kansas City Chiefs managed to claim their sixth win of the 2024 NFL season on Sunday, but the game against the San Francisco 49ers also left Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes with more injured players ahead of Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Unfortunately, the head coach provided a negative update during his Monday conference with reporters. Reid ruled out both cornerback Jaylen Watson and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Chiefs‘ Week 8 game in Las Vegas.
“I would tell you, Watson, it’s not going to be good, and he won’t be ready this week, JuJu won’t be ready this week,” Reid said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. “Two different things there.”
Both players left the Chiefs’ 28-18 win over the 49ers in pain, but as Reid said, their situations are quite different. While Smith-Schuster’s hamstring injury is serious enough to keep him on the sidelines this week, Watson could be out for longer.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs’ No. 2 cornerback suffered a fractured ankle and his availability for the rest of the season remains unclear. In his postgame press conference on Sunday, Reid had already anticipated the extent of Watson’s injury could be serious: “Yeah, I think Jaylen (Watson) will be (a long-term injury). I think. We’ll see what the MRI says, but I don’t think that’s going to be great news.”
Watson, Smith-Schuster could mean huge losses for Mahomes, Chiefs
Both injuries mean a huge loss for Mahomes. Smith-Schuster’s absence directly impacts the quarterback, who had already lost key pass catchers early in the 2024 NFL season.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was the first to go down with a preseason injury, before Mahomes accidentally injured Rashee Rice in Week 4. Now, the Chiefs’ wide receiver room only has four healthy players: Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman.
However, Watson’s injury also affects Mahomes, as the cornerback had been playing a key role in defense. This may not be the quarterback’s unit, but Steve Spagnuolo’s boys saved the Chiefs many times this season. In fact, they’re a strong reason the team remains undefeated despite the string of injuries in offense.
Raiders also suffer key injury ahead of Chiefs game
While the Chiefs have all the right to feel unlucky with all these injuries, the Raiders have also received terrible news ahead of Week 8, as they’re losing none other than starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the divisional game.
According to Rapoport, the 26-year-old will be out from four to six weeks due to a fractured thumb. Therefore, Gardner Minshew is expected to be under center for the Raiders against the Chiefs on Sunday.