Getty Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill
The Kansas City Chiefs picked up an opening week win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. They put up 40 points and the offense looked as strong as ever. The bad news is that Tyreek Hill left the game with an injury and did not return.
According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, it will be at least a month before the Chiefs get back their speedy wide receiver.
#Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill (sternoclavicular joint injury) is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, sources say. A positive sign: KC does not plan to put him on IR, as of now. He’ll need to be monitored in rehab, and how quickly it progresses will determine if it’s more or less than 6 weeks.
Hill signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension two days before the beginning of the regular season. He had just two catches for 16 yards against the Jags before leaving with a shoulder injury.
When Will Hill Return?
The Chiefs mulled over the decision of whether or not to place Hill on IR. They chose against it with the hopes that he can return midseason to be reason for a postseason run.
“Before we left Jacksonville, he had the dislocated sternoclavicular joint reduced. He had that reduced without surgery and had it reduced under anesthesia. All went well there. There was no damage to his vital to any of his vital organs or his vessels. He spent the night in Jacksonville at the hospital,” Chiefs head trainer and VP Rick Burkholder on Wednesday about the injury. “I know there is speculation out there about how long, but he’s truly a week-to-week injury. He will be listed as out this week.”
Hill will continue to rehab his injury and return to the field as soon as possible. While he is out, Sammy Watkins will have to be the No. 1 receiver. He had nine catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. There will be an upgraded role for rookie Mecole Hardman as well.
Chiefs Upcoming Schedule
The Chiefs offense is dynamic and will continue to be without Hill, but his absence cannot be ignored. Hill had 87 catches for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018. He had over 1,600 yards from scrimmage. The Chiefs have a chance to jump out to a quick start with a favorable schedule early on, but how will Hill’s injury impact their wins and losses?
The Chiefs next six games are:
vs. Baltimore Ravens
at Detroit Lions
vs. Houston Texans
The schedule for Kansas City is not very daunting. Their are two games that could be a problem and those are Baltimore and Houston. Both of those games will be played in Arrowhead which gives the Chiefs an advantage. Expect the Chiefs offense to still be strong at home. The Chiefs will win both of these games.
The Raiders, Lions, and Colts are games that should not be worried about. Jacoby Brissett played well in Week 1 for Indy, but they do not have enough firepower on offense to keep up with the Chiefs. One game to keep an eye on is Denver. The Broncos looked bad against the Raiders in Week 1, but with a new quarterback and head coach, it will take time for the team to gel. With a defense like Denver has, they will never be counted out of a game.
In the end, the Chiefs have some tough matchups when Hill will be out, but they should be able to remain one of the best teams in the league. Kansas City can get Hill back with the same amount of losses they had when he went out. And that’s none.