Kansas City Chiefs: Jamaal Charles Has Swelling In His Knee
By Charles Lam
The Kansas City Chiefs reported, Jamaal Charles has swelling in his knee. The KC Chiefs have depth at the position but if Charles’ knee injury lingers, this could impact the rest of the season and beyond.
Jamaal Charles popped up on the injury report again today for the KC Chiefs. He’s listed as questionable for the New Orleans Saints game this weekend. Charles reaggravated his knee sometime this week but were not sure exactly when.
The KC Chiefs don’t need to rush the star running back into game action anytime soon. The Chiefs schedule looks favorable for the next few weeks. Kansas City will take on the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts the next two weeks.
The Saints don’t have a good defense. The New Orleans run defense is middle of the pack in the NFL ranked 17 overall. The Saints gave up 589 rushing yards in five games played, according to ESPN.
New Orleans’ passing defense is even worse, coming in at 19 overall in the league. The Saints have allowed 1,508 passing yards to opposing teams in five games played. The Saints have also had a bye week during this stretch. Which makes the defensive numbers that much more pitiful.
The Indianapolis Colts defense is even worse than the Saints defense as a whole. The Colts are 25th against the run, allowing 706 rushing yards this season.
They also allowed 1,761 passing yards so far during the 2016 season, good for 30th in the NFL. The Colts have played six games this season, one more than the Saints, making the numbers worse. Their defense is atrocious.
The Kansas City Chiefs don’t need Jamaal Charles for these next few games. It doesn’t seem like he will be gone long according to head coach, Andy Reid.
“Jamaal’s knee had a little bit of swelling & we were just taking it down for today. We think everything will be alright."
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) October 21, 2016
~ Andy Reid.
This is great news for the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans. Yet Jamaal Charles will be missed if he can’t play.
Jamaal Charles tore his ACL a year ago during the Chicago Bears game. The KC Chiefs eased him back onto the practice field and eventually a regular season game on October 2 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chiefs gradually increased Charles’ activities on the field expanding his workload each week. In the first week of game action, Charles rushed the ball twice for nine yards and received on target but he didn’t make the catch.
Last weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs raised his duties to nine rushes and two targets on the road against Oakland. He trudged his way to 33 yards on the ground and 14 yards receiving yards while adding a rushing touchdown in the deluge of rain.
If Charles can’t play for awhile, it’s not the end of the world. Running backs, Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, can take over for Charles and be just fine.
Ware’s lead the KC Chiefs for a few weeks and he’s looked great. Last week against the Raiders, Ware totaled 163 yards and a touchdown in the pouring rain. West can spell Ware when he needs a breather as well.
If the Chiefs need to call up a running back, Darrin Reaves is available on the practice squad. The guy looked good in preseason game action this year and could be a diamond in the rough like Ware and West were.
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Get healthy Charles. We need you for a playoff push against great teams like the Broncos and Patriots. Take care of yourself, buddy.