Getty Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
When the Kansas City Chiefs took the field in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, they did so without Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown. That’s because he suffered an injury during pregame.
Just minutes before kickoff, the Chiefs listed Brown as questionable for the game with a calf injury.
T Orlando Brown is questionable with a calf injury.
To make matters worse, second-year tackle Lucas Niang replaced Brown in the lineup, however, he went down with an injury early in the first quarter and was carted off the field. Kansas City then ruled him out for the remainder of the game soon after. From that point, left guard Joe Thuney shifted over to left tackle, and Nick Allegretti came in to play left guard.
OL Lucas Niang is out with a knee injury
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Reid’s Update on Brown, Niang
After the game, head coach Andy Reid announced that Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon. Meanwhile, Brown suffered a calf strain during pregame warmups.
Lucas Niang tore his patellar tendon, per Coach Reid. Orlando Brown sustained a calf strain in warmups.
Brown had an MRI on his calf, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport following Reid’s presser, and the injury is described as “minor.”
While Niang’s season is now over following his injury, the fact that Brown only suffered a strain is great news. That means he will likely miss a minimal amount of time moving forward, which is crucial given the circumstance the Chiefs are in entering their regular-season finale.
Bengals Beat Chiefs, KC Loses Top Seed
Behind an elite offensive surge by Cincinnati’s offense, the Bengals beat the Chiefs at Paul Brown Stadium 34-31.
Second-year quarterback Joe Burrow backed his 525-yard performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 with 446 yards and four touchdowns against the defending AFC champions. The biggest recipient of Burrow’s incredible passing display was rookie first-round pick J’Marr Chase, who caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Joe Burrow opens the second half with a 69-yard touchdown to J’Marr Chase. PAT is good. Chase now has six catches for 180 yards and 3 TDs.
The loss for Kansas City (11-5) means they are now the No. 2 seed in the AFC, as the Tennessee Titans (11-5) own the tiebreaker over the Chiefs and are now the No. 1 seed after beating the Miami Dolphins 34-3 in Week 17.
To gain the top seed once again, the Chiefs must beat the Denver Broncos in the regular-season finale and the Houston Texans must beat the Titans.
As for the Bengals, they now punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. The win over Kansas City earned Cincinnati the AFC North title, which ensures that they will be part of the 2021-22 NFL postseason. They are the No. 3 seed in the AFC entering Week 18.