Justin Houston gives Chiefs needed edge in playoff push
DENVER – It would have been understandable if Justin Houston missed this entire season after the Pro Bowl pass rusher underwent February surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Instead, Houston is back and providing the Chiefs with a much-needed boost in time to make a playoff run.
Playing in just his second game of the season Sunday night, Houston recorded three sacks on Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, all in the first half of the Chiefs’ 30-27 overtime win. Houston stripped Siemian of the ball in the end zone on the third sack, resulting in a safety for the Chiefs.
“I’ve been so hungry,” Houston said. “I saw this game coming months ago. I worked and I had faith and I believed. When you have those things, nothing can stop you.”
Houston briefly left the game in the second quarter to have his shoulder examined, but he was cleared to return.
He finished the game with 10 tackles, four of them for a loss.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Chiefs safety Eric Berry, one of Houston’s closest friends, said. “He’s just getting his feet wet.”
Houston’s rapid return to form makes the Chiefs’ defense even more formidable as Kansas City tries to chase down the Raiders in the AFC West. On Sunday against the Broncos, Houston more than made up for the absence of outside linebacker Dee Ford, who missed the game with a hamstring injury. Ford has 10 sacks this season.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
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