Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton.
Although the Kansas City Chiefs did get a victory over the divisional-rival Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5, the defending AFC West champions did suffer a big loss in the game.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced after the game that defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who exited the Monday Night Football outing with a knee injury, suffered a torn ACL, thus putting an end to his season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Tershawn Wharton suffered a torn ACL.
Losing Wharton is a big blow to Kansas City’s defensive line. Heading into Monday night’s game, Wharton had played 44% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference. In four games, he accumulated 3 quarterback hits, 1 quarterback hurry, 1 sack, and 4 stops, per PFF.
With Wharton out of the lineup, Kansas City will likely rely on Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders to shoulder a bigger workload alongside Chris Jones moving forward.
Along with Wharton’s injury news, Reid also announced that rookie safety Brian Cook entered concussion protocol following the Week 5 victory.
Twitter Reacts to Chiefs Losing Wharton
Twitter users reacted to the Chiefs losing Wharton for the season.
“Feel terrible for Tershawn Wharton,” Josh Brisco of Arrowhead Report wrote. “Not only was he having a great year and getting a ton of work, it’s the last year of his UDFA contract. I imagine he’ll stick around and get a nice raise, but he was in the midst of a big contract year.”
Feel terrible for Tershawn Wharton. Not only was he having a great year and getting a ton of work, it’s the last year of his UDFA contract. I imagine he’ll stick around and get a nice raise, but he was in the midst of a big contract year.
“Injuries like this are why (Ndamukong) Suh will be able to have his pick of destinations in a few weeks,” one Twitter user wrote.
@HerbieTeope Injuries like this are why Suh will be able to have his pick of destinations in a few weeks
“Devastating loss for the Chiefs. Wharton has been extremely productive opposite of Chris Jones,” another user wrote.
“Sad to hear. Was one of the better young players on that defense,” another user wrote.
“This makes me so sad. Last year of his contract, hopefully they bring him back. Way to make Rolla proud king, I know you’ll come back better than ever,” another user wrote.
“Man, that’s a heartbreaker. Turk has been a solid piece of this DL since he came here as an UDFA. Best wishes @1kingturk__ the comeback will be epic!” another user wrote.
Chiefs Beat Raiders in Epic MNF Showdown
In a game that was filled with lots of highlight-worthy plays and even more penalties, the Chiefs beat the Raiders 30-29 in Week 5.
Among the top offensive performers for Kansas City was quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who completed 29-of-43 pass attempts for 292 yards and 4 touchdowns. All of his touchdowns went to tight end Travis Kelce, who set a Monday Night Football record for most touchdown catches in a single game.
Patrick Mahomes finds Travis Kelce wide open in the endzone for their 4th touchdown connection *tonight*
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling had his best game since joining the Chiefs this offseason, catching 6 passes on 8 targets for 90 yards against the Raiders. He now has 19 catches on 31 targets for 258 yards in 5 games this season.
#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes connects with WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 23-yard pickup on 3rd & 8. #ChiefsKingdom
As for Kansas City’s defense — the unit struggled overall against Las Vegas. The defense gave up 378 yards of total offense, with 154 of those being on the ground courtesy of Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. The Chiefs also only registered 2 sacks on quarterback Derek Carr and forced 0 turnovers.
QB Derek Carr drops a DIME to Davante Adams for a 48-yard touchdown. 2-point conversion is no good.
Now with a 4-1 record, the Chiefs remain atop the AFC West ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers (3-2), Denver Broncos (2-3), and the Raiders (1-4).
Next up on Kansas City’s schedule is a matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 16 at 3:25 p.m. CST. The game will be available to watch on CBS.