Knee brace limits Chiefs defender Justin Houston’s ability to play

Chiefs Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston felt helpless on the sidelines in the team’s 27-20 loss to New England Patriots on Saturday night.

Houston, who missed the last five games of the regular season with a knee injury, participated in only eight snaps.

“It was bad … you see your family out there in the war, and you can’t do anything but watch, it’s not a good feeling,” Houston said Sunday.

Houston participated in 44 snaps the previous week in the Chiefs’ Wild Card Game win against the Texans, but the brace on his left knee proved too cumbersome and counter-productive.

“The knee brace tightens everything up,” said Houston, the NFL sack leader with a club-record 22 in 2014. “My hamstring, my calf, everything is so stiff, I couldn’t move with it. And I can’t play without it. It hindered me a lot.

“I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I would have given anything I had to be out there a full 100 percent, or even 80 percent and help the guys out. I felt me playing more, I probably would have hurt the team more than helped it.”

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Knee brace limits Chiefs defender Justin Houston’s ability to play."