Andy Reid Gives Injury Updates on Mahomes, Butker, Others After Win
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The Kansas City Chiefs secured a massive Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals to begin their 2022 season on the right foot, but it came at a bit of a cost. Throughout the contest, multiple players suffered injuries and some even left the game without returning to it.
Things got off to an odd start, as kicker Harrison Butker rolled his ankle on a kickoff attempt and exited before ultimately returning to action and even draining a 54-yard field goal. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit his left hand/wrist area on a helmet while throwing his first touchdown pass of the game, and it was visibly taped heavily thereafter. It didn't appear to impact his play much, though, as the superstar signal-caller threw five touchdowns on the afternoon.
Elsewhere, cornerback Trent McDuffie suffered a hamstring injury and wide receiver Justin Watson's chest injury saw both players miss the remainder of the game following their respective exits. That isn't even the complete extent of those who appeared to be injured at any point in the game.
Following Kansas City's win, head coach Andy Reid led off his postgame press conference by providing injury updates based on what he knew at the time about those who missed any amount of time during the team's 44-21 win:
- McDuffie: Strained hamstring
- Watson: Team will wait and see how chest progresses
- Mahomes: Wrist, Chiefs are doing "all the work" (possible X-Ray) on that front following game*
- Butker: No new news on injured left ankle (plant foot)
- Guard Trey Smith: Ankle, Chiefs will see how he responds overnight
*Mahomes added in his postgame presser that "everything looked good" and his wrist is sore, but he's hoping it isn't something that lingers for weeks.
Reid didn't have a ton of concrete news on the injury front, which tracks considering both the nature of his players' injuries and how much testing is required to determine any structural damage. Considering that the Chiefs have to travel back to Kansas City and prepare on a short week for their Thursday night battle against the Los Angeles Chargers, however, they'll hope for more positive updates in the coming hours and days leading up to Week 2. Reid's preliminary updates seem to have calmed some nerves surrounding serious injuries, which is a good start.
MONDAY UPDATE: It was reported on Monday morning that the Chiefs were hosting kicker Tristan Vizcaino for a workout following Butker's injury, but new details reveal that he wasn't the only one. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, former New York Jets kicker Matt Ammendola is joining the team's practice squad:
As Harrison Butker deals with an ankle injury, the Chiefs are signing former Jets kicker Matt Ammendola to the practice squad, per source. If Butker can’t go, it’ll be Ammendola kicking against the Chargers on Thursday night.
Matt Ammendola won a six-man kicker derby today in Kansas City that also included Cameron Dicker, Elliott Fry, Chase McLaughlin, Cody Parkey and Tristan Vizcaino.
- Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) on Monday, Sept. 12 at 8:29 p.m. CST
