With Jeremy Maclin's status uncertain, Chiefs ready to lean on rookie Chris Conley
The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping rookie receiver Chris Conley can build on his first playoff performance given the uncertain status of No. 1 wideout Jeremy Maclin.
Though the challenge of potentially replacing Maclin, who led the team with 87 receptions for 1,088 yards in the regular season, is daunting, the Chiefs are at least encouraged with Conley’s production. He stepped in for Maclin, who injured his right ankle, in the third quarter of Saturday’s 30-0 wild-card victory over the Houston Texans.
After keeping the offense moving on the same drive in which Maclin was hurt, quarterback Alex Smith ultimately found Conley in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. It was Conley’s only catch of the game.
“Chris has just stayed ready,” Smith said. “He works hard. He stays after every day at practice just working, staying ready. He is that kind of guy, and we’ve got the kind of coaches that don’t blink, either. They don’t care.”
Conley had 17 receptions for 199 yards this season. In the one game the Chiefs played this season without Maclin, a 23-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 25, Conley caught six passes and scored a touchdown.
The third-round pick from the University of Georgia — Conley showed eye-popping athleticism at last year's scouting combine — now is positioned to potentially have a much larger role in Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game at the New England Patriots.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Sunday that Maclin had more pain in his ankle than knee. An MRI revealed an ankle sprain after initial fears that Maclin might have suffered a significant knee injury. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in training camp in 2013 with the Philadelphia Eagles and missed the season. He suffered the same injury while at the University of Missouri.
Maclin is officially day to day going forward.
If he is sidelined for the divisional round, Smith could also lean more heavily on one of the league’s best tight ends, Travis Kelce, who excelled against the Texans for the second time this season. After catching two touchdown passes against Houston in Week 1, Kelce caught eight passes for 128 yards Saturday.
“They did a good job creating certain situations where Kelce was running open and other situations where we should have made some of the plays to minimize their gains,” Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “We definitely wanted to keep him under the radar and keep a guy on him at all times. But he had another big game.”
Albert Wilson, who had 35 catches for 451 yards this season, is another receiver who will need to contribute for Kansas City. Wilson caught two passes for 9 yards Saturday, but Smith also overthrew him on an early deep pass that would have resulted in a touchdown.
Maclin’s injury has other ramifications as well.
"We know how much Jeremy means to us,” Smith said.
“It’s not just his physical talents. He rubs off on everybody, the competitor that he is, what he brings on game day, that energy. Everybody kind of feeds off that.”
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Follow Eric Prisbell on Twitter @EricPrisbell
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