Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press The Kansas City Chiefs were without one of their go-to receivers for much of Week 4, as Sammy Watkins suffered a hamstring injury against the Denver Broncos on Monday and was ruled out in the first half. After the Chiefs' 27-23 win, head coach Andy Reid told reporters Watkins' hamstring tightened up during the game. He failed to catch his only target before coming out of the game. The 25-year-old is in his first season with the Chiefs after signing a three-year, $48 million contract in free agency. This season, Watkins has produced to the tune of 14 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown. The former Clemson standout showed elite-level ability at times during his first three NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills after they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Watkins averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per season in his first two campaigns, but he struggled to stay on the field in 2015 and especially 2016. After missing three games due to injury in 2015, Watkins appeared in just eight contests in 2016, finishing with 28 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns. Video Play Button Videos you might like Buffalo shipped him and a sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick prior to the 2017 campaign. Watkins struggled at times in his one season with the Rams and finished with just 39 grabs for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. Despite his down year, he received a big free-agent deal because of his ability to stretch the field. Until Watkins is able to return, Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson will likely take on greater roles. Also, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce will have bigger target shares, with running back Kareem Hunt potentially taking on more pass-catching responsibility as well. The Chiefs are stacked with enough offensive weaponry to thrive even if Watkins misses some time, but Kansas City is more dangerous with him in the fold.<doc-sep>Some not so great news out of Mile High. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins is questionable to return with a hamstring injury. pic.twitter.com/7FzDcYZ4lH — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 2, 2018 Sammy Watkins has left the game with a hamstring injury and he is questionable to return. Watkins is in the locker room and being evaluated for a hamstring strain. This could simply be precautionary, but it’s never good when they take them to the locker room to evaluate it. Typically it means that they want to do an MRI or further examination than what can be done in the sideline medical tent. Watkins came over to the Chiefs in free agency via the Los Angeles Rams. Thus far his career has been significantly hampered by injury, so lets just hope that the severity of his hamstring injury isn’t anything serious. We’ll keep you updated on the very latest about this injury and more as we find out.<doc-sep>The Chiefs suffered some key injuries Monday night against the Broncos. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins exited the game with hamstring tightness. It appears the Chiefs took Watkins out for precautionary reasons, but they’ll likely do their due diligence in the form of an MRI once they return to Arrowhead. Expect them to proceed with caution here, given the depth at the receiver position and Watkins’ extensive injury history. Sammy Watkins’ hamstring tightened up on him. Dee Ford’s groin tightened up on him, per Andy Reid. — BJ Kissel (@ChiefsReporter) October 2, 2018 Kansas City’s top pass rusher on the season, Dee Ford, re-aggravated the same groin injury that took him out of the game late during Week 3 vs. the 49ers. It’s never a good thing when a player re-injures something that he already worked back from. The team will likely evaluate this injury again and do new testing and imaging. Ultimately, the training staff will likely be more cautious with Ford this time around. Groin injuries have a tendency to be nagging ones, and for a pass rusher who’s reliant on speed, you don’t want that type of injury hanging around too long. The Chiefs did not provide a Tuesday injury update on Watkins or Ford as they’re not yet back at Arrowhead. We should know more in the coming days. We’ll keep you updated throughout the week as more information about their status unfolds.<doc-sep>KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Sammy Watkins #14 of the Kansas City Chiefs stiff arms Ahkello Witherspoon #23 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that wide receiver Sammy Watkins’ hamstring injury is not severe after all, but they’ll know soon enough. The Kansas City Chiefs are in the middle of perhaps the toughest part of their full-season schedule. Coming off of a tough road win at Mile High over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the Chiefs have one less day to get ready for the Jacksonville Jaguars in a showdown that features the best overall defense the team is likely to play in 2018 (depending on how you feel about the L.A. Rams). Given the depth and talent on the Jags defense, the Chiefs are going to need all the offense firepower they can muster. Unfortunately wide receiver Sammy Watkins had to leave the team’s game in Week 4 due to a hamstring injury and he was unable to return due to the severity of the pain. The lack of a return to the game immediately called into question whether or not he would be able to play in Week 5. Watkins will undergo an MRI to have a complete diagnosis, but the sentiment among the Chiefs is that there’s reason for optimism. Mike Garafolo stated that Watkins was able to “do some jogging” after the game, a good sign for the Chiefs. #Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins has yet to undergo an MRI on his hamstring so the full extent is not yet known but he was able to do some jogging last night as they evaluated whether he could return. So the hope is it’s not a severe strain. — Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 2, 2018 Watkins was the team’s big free agent grab this offseason, a talented wideout brought in to elevate the team’s offense from strong to elite. So far it’s worked wonders as opponents have been frustrated through the first four games. Patrick Mahomes’ talent already makes everyone look better, but it’s proven impossible to defend every weapon on the field when all is well. That includes Watkins being healthy and able to provide a dependable and dangerous target when opponents focus too heavily on Tyreek Hill. Further details on Watkins will be revealed as the week goes on.<doc-sep>
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins suffered a hamstring injury during the Chiefs 27-23 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday night. During the first half, Watkins was reported to be in the Chiefs locker room being evaluated for a hamstring injury. Then before halftime, the Chiefs announced Watkins was out for the game. Speaking to the media in Denver last night, head coach Andy Reid said that both Watkins and linebacker Dee Ford left the game early. “As far as injuries go, we just have two guys,” he said. “So Sammy Watkins, his hamstring tightened up on him and Dee Ford, his groin tightened up on him. Both those guys didn’t finish the game.” According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Watkins has not yet been evaluated in more detail. #Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins has yet to undergo an MRI on his hamstring so the full extent is not yet known but he was able to do some jogging last night as they evaluated whether he could return. So the hope is it’s not a severe strain. — Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 2, 2018 Although Garafalo doesn’t say so directly, his report suggests Watkins might be undergoing an MRI soon. According to our in-house injury expert Aaron Borgmann, it’s a good sign that Watkins was able to move around on the sideline, and it’s normal for an MRI to be delayed after a night game. Good that he was able to move immediately post injury to that extent. Late night game = later arrival, short turnaround obviously not ideal for play if anything at all shows up on scan...TBD@ArrowheadPride https://t.co/DkxDPLVjxi — Aaron Borgmann (@RehabAllStar) October 2, 2018 We will keep you updated.