Chiefs’ Justin Houston has hyperextended knee

A recent MRI revealed that Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston has a hyperextended left knee, head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder announced Wednesday.

Houston left the Chiefs’ 30-22 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday because of the injury, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said afterward that initial tests revealed might have re-injured his posterior cruciate ligament in the knee, which he tore in January 2014.

But on Wednesday, Burkholder said Houston’s most recent injury was not quite that serious.

“With the hyperextended knee, you get some soft tissue damage in the back of your knee, and some of the ligaments and tendons and soft tissue get stretched out,” Burkholder said. “That’s what he’s dealing with right now, he’s in the middle of the rehab process.”

Burkholder said Houston is doing well, and is considered “day-to-day.” Reid also did not rule out Houston playing Sunday at Oakland, though he didn’t practice Wednesday.

“He’s made big improvements here over the last two days, that’s a positive thing,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how he does.”

If Houston cannot play, Reid said Dee Ford — the Chiefs’ 2014 first-round pick — would be the next man up. Ford missed the Chiefs’ last two games because of a back injury, but he practiced on Wednesday and should be available to play against Oakland, barring any setbacks.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Justin Houston has hyperextended knee."