The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 6-0 with Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch, but the 28-18 victory is already proving costly.
Starting cornerback Jaylen Watson was seen leaving the locker room on crutches with his left foot in a cast after suffering an ankle injury, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic.
Head coach Andy Reid only confirmed fears in the minds of fans in his postgame press conference.
‘I think Jaylen will be out long term,’ Reid said. ‘Yeah, I think. I mean, we’ll see what the MRI says, but I don’t think that’s going to be great news.’
The 26-year-old Watson had gone from an unheralded seventh-round pick in 2022 to a starter opposite All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Jaylen Watson (pictured in LA on September 29) may be out for an extended period
And in last February’s Super Bowl win over San Francisco, Watson recovered a muffed punt to set up a crucial Chiefs touchdown.
He even overcame offseason shoulder surgery to reclaim a starting job in 2024, only to suffer an ankle injury in Sunday’s win.
Zach Gelb, a Sirius/XM host, wrote that the Chiefs fear Watson broke his ankle.
‘Losing Jaylen Watson would be a really, really big deal,’ wrote Joshua Brisco, editor of Chiefs On SI. ‘This defense has thrived with continuity, and I’m not sure if the other guys can provide that level of stability and consistency. Hoping it’s less than season-ending.’
The Chiefs will now need to turn to Christian Roland-Wallace, Nazeeh Johnson or Joshua Williams to step up in Week 8 as Kansas City heads to Las Vegas to face the rival Raiders.
Kansas City also suffered another injury at wide receiver, where JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a hamstring issue.
Despite Watson’s injury on Sunday, the Chiefs still managed to intercept 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy three times.
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