Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin to have MRI on knee, status for next week uncertain
HOUSTON --- After earning their first playoff victory in 22 years, the Kansas City Chiefs quickly turned their attention toward possibly moving on in the postseason without their leading receiver, Jeremy Maclin.
Maclin suffered what coach Andy Reid called a strained right knee in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 30-0 victory over the Houston Texans in Saturday’s AFC wild-card game at NRG Stadium.
Maclin, who will undergo an MRI on Sunday, was shown in tears as he was carted off the field. He was able to walk out of the locker room without the aid of crutches, but the knee was heavily wrapped.
Maclin had torn the ACL in the same knee in training camp in 2013 with the Eagles and missed the season, and had suffered the injury while at the University of Missouri.
“You never want to see anyone go down, especially Jeremy because you know what he means to us …,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said. “His competitive, what he brings on game days, it rubs off on all of us. He plays with an edge.”
In his first season with the Chiefs, Maclin had 87 catches for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns.
Maclin was replaced by rookie Chris Conley, who caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to finish off the same drive on which Maclin was injured.
“We definitely have a next man up mentality,” Conley said. “We pray that Jeremy is okay and ready to go next week.”
Follow Eric Prisbell on Twitter@EricPrisbell.