KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The injury-riddled Kansas City Chiefs lost left tackle Wanya Morris to a left knee injury on the first play against the Houston Texans on Sunday night, leaving their makeshift offensive line with rookie Esa Pole protecting Patrick Mahomes' blind side.
Not exactly an ideal situation against Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and one of the best pass rushes in the NFL.
Then things got worse for Kansas City: Trent McDuffie hurt his knee later in the first quarter, when the former All-Pro cornerback jumped high in the air while trying in vain to defend a 46-yard pass from C.J. Stroud to Nico Collins.
Meanwhile, the Texans lost running back Nick Chubb to a rib injury. That left Dare Ogunbowale to back up Woody Marks.
The Chiefs already were forced into a patchwork offensive line after rookie left tackle Josh Simmons went on injured reserve this week following surgery to repair a fractured and dislocated wrist, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor was inactive due to a triceps injury.
Recommended for you
That meant that primary backup Jaylon Moore was the starter at right tackle and Morris was in the lineup at left tackle.
The Chiefs also were missing standout right guard Trey Smith because of an ankle injury. Mike Caliendo started in his place.
Pole played two seasons at a California junior college and two at Washington State. He went undrafted in April and signed with the Chiefs the following month. He also had a stint with the Jets before returning to Kansas City in late October.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.