Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Suffers Sprained Knee
It appears that Laurent Duvernay-Tardif's knee injury isn't serious after all.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that Duvernay-Tardif has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee and he's listed as day-to-day.
The offensive guard went down with the injury in the first quarter of their 29–20 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday when he got tangled up with Mitchell Schwartz while he was attempting to block for rookie running back Kareem Hunt.
Duvernay-Tardif left the field with an air cast on his left knee and he was on crutches as he left the locker room after the game. It was initially feared that he might have suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Fortunately, he's not going to be out for long.
At 4–0, the Chiefs are the only undefeated team left in the National Football League (NFL), and they are going to need all the help they can get if they want to stay at the top of the standings especially after they lost running back Spencer Ware and five-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry this season. Center Mitch Morse is also dealing with a foot sprain, but he should be back soon.
Jordan Devey finished the game at right guard after Duvernay-Tardif got hurt, and he will have to step up once again if the former sixth-round pick is unavailable for the game against the Houston Texans this Sunday.
''It's hard to see one of our guys go down. But we're all interchangeable as a unit. 'Next man up,' that's our mantra,'' Chiefs center Zach Fulton said, via Yahoo Sports.
''That's a tough injury. (Duvernay-Tardif) is a great guy, I love him. It's just tough, but those guys stepped up. They played their hearts out and I couldn't ask for any more,'' Hunt said.
Duvernay-Tardif signed a five-year, $41.25-million extension with the Chiefs this offseason with a $20 million guaranteed.