Chiefs’ Spencer Ware leaves preseason game at Seattle with knee injury

Chiefs running back Spencer Ware left the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Friday with a knee injury.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game that Ware has a knee sprain, but Ware will have an MRI on Saturday to determine the extent of the damage. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs think Ware has injured his PCL ligament, but his ACL is thought to be fine.

David Chao, a former NFL team physical for 17 years, said a PCL injury — if it is indeed the case for Ware — would likely mean Ware would not require surgery, just two-to-six weeks of rehab depending on the severity of the injury.

Ware suffered the injury on the Chiefs’ opening drive. It’s unclear exactly what happened, as replays showed Ware catching a pass from quarterback Alex Smith and breaking some tackles before being taken to the ground. Based on the video of the play, Chao speculated that a meniscus injury could also be in play, which could require a scope that keeps him out four to six weeks, barring a severe one.

Ware, 25, is expected to be the Chiefs’ starting running back this season. The 5-foot-10, 229-pounder rushed 214 times for 921 yards and three touchdowns last season, his first as the team’s No. 1 running back.

Rookie Kareem Hunt, who earned lots of first-string reps in last week’s game against Cincinnati, shared first-string reps with Ware again on Friday and was his immediate replacement after Ware was taken off on a cart.

In his first two preseason games, Hunt, a third-round pick from Toledo, has rushed 9 times for 40 yards and caught four passes for 32 yards. On Friday, he rushed nine times for 39 yards.

Injury report

Reid said he made the decision to sit safety Eric Berry (heel) on Friday. Berry was not ruled out for the game with other injured players on Wednesday.

“I did not play Eric — he was physically sore from the practices and the leg flared up just a little bit, so I just backed off him,” Reid said.

Outside linebacker Justin Houston and defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon each missed Friday’s game with the flu.

“We just have to take care of that and make sure it doesn’t continue to travel that way,” Reid said.

Nose tackle Roy Miller III had a hamstring sprain, Reid said.

“A little bit of that is just having not played and getting him back in the swing of things,” Reid said. “I think he’s going to be okay there.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Spencer Ware leaves preseason game at Seattle with knee injury."