Damien Williams ruled out with knee injury, leaves Chiefs short on weapons vs. Ravens
The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are set to face off in the matchup of the week this Sunday, but the Chiefs are looking more short-handed by the day.
With wideout Tyreek Hill and left tackle Eric Fisher already out with long-term injuries, head coach Andy Reid ruled out starting running back Damien Williams for Week 3 with a knee injury.
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Williams suffered the injury in the second half of last Sunday’s win over the Oakland Raiders. Although it’s unclear when he hurt himself, he made his last carry at the end of the third quarter, wrapping up a nine-carry, eight-yard day.
Williams has not been as explosive this season as he was last season; his 1.55 yards per carry are more than a yard fewer than any running back with at least 22 carries. Still, it’s a blow that will test the Chiefs’ depth.
How will Chiefs adjust their offense without Williams?
Making matters worse for the Chiefs is that the player most likely to pick up Williams’ slack is LeSean McCoy, who did not practice on Wednesday and was limited Thursday with an ankle malady.
If McCoy is unable to shoulder all of the Chiefs’ rushing load, Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams can pick up the slack. Thompson, in particular, could be intriguing as a sixth-round pick this April who declared after one impressive season at Utah State.
The Chiefs may also lean even more on reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes, as Sammy Watkins continues to blossom, and Demarcus Robinson appears to be a rising star. Stats can be misleading through just two weeks, but the Chiefs are only 17th in the league with 24 carries per game, which is surprising considering they’ve led during most of their two contests.
Kansas City will need all the offense it can get when it hosts Baltimore. In their first full season with Lamar Jackson at the helm, the Ravens look dangerous and ready to try to out-score the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
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