Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes officially ruled out Sunday vs. Green Bay Packers
The Kansas City Chiefs are officially without their top player in Week 8.
Coach Andy Reid on Friday ruled out quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) for Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
Mahomes, who suffered a dislocated right kneecap in Week 7, put in limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, but the Chiefs elected to err on the side of caution instead of rushing him back.
“He just wasn’t ready right now,” Reid said. “That was our decision, not his. He wanted to play right after it happened, but he needs a little bit of time there.”
Reid added that Mahomes was able to “do quite a bit” in recent days on the practice field, and then provided a glimmer of hope that the signal-caller could return sooner than later.
“He’s close,” Reid said.
With Mahomes down, the Chiefs will turn to Matt Moore, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in relief of Mahomes in Week 7. He’ll be backed up by undrafted rookie Kyle Shurmer, who was elevated from the practice squad earlier in the week.
Reid also ruled out left tackle Eric Fisher (groin), defensive end Frank Clark (neck), defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin), cornerback Kendall Fuller (thumb) and guard Andrew Wylie (ankle).
Clark’s status came up earlier in the week, when Reid revealed Wednesday that Clark’s neck “has been acting up a little bit” and the team needed to get the injury “settled down a bit.”
Clark recorded two sacks in Week 7 and finished the game playing on 51 of the defense’s 66 snaps, and Reid said that Clark “was OK there,” without providing additional details. Clark did not practice the entire week before being ruled out.
The Chiefs designated linebacker Darron Lee (illness) as questionable. Lee returned to practice Friday on a limited basis after not practicing the previous two days.
The Chiefs did have some good news, too. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins (hamstring) practiced fully the entire week and will play Sunday.
“He’s felt pretty good the whole week,” Reid said. “He’s done a nice job and I think he’s looking forward to getting back out there.”
Watkins, who hasn’t played since suffering the injury in Week 4, agreed with Reid’s evaluation.
“If I can carryover my practice the way I practiced to the game, I think I should be rolling,” Watkins said.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 2:19 PM.
