Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson left Sunday’s 28-18 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury and did not return. Shortly after midnight on Monday, October 21, Zach Gelb of Infinity Sports Network reported that the Chiefs are concerned Watson may have suffered a broken ankle during Week 7.
If confirmed, a broken ankle could sideline Watson for several weeks or even months, depending on the injury’s severity.
During his post-game press conference, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did not provide a definitive update but suggested that the news might not be promising. “We’ll see what the MRI says, but I don’t think that’s going to be great news,” Reid stated.
Watson, 26, ranked fifth among Chiefs defenders in snaps played heading into Week 7, totaling 347. In five games, he allowed 14 receptions on 27 targets, yielding a 51.9% catch rate.
Chiefs Remain Undefeated
With the win over the 49ers, the Chiefs improved to 6-0, while San Francisco dropped to 3-3. Kansas City’s offense was not particularly dominant through the air, with Patrick Mahomes throwing for only 154 yards and two interceptions. However, the team excelled on the ground, rushing for 154 yards and four touchdowns, which allowed them to control the time of possession (35 minutes to San Francisco’s 24).
Veteran Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs in rushing attempts (22), yards (78), and touchdowns (2). Mahomes and receiver Mecole Hardman contributed the other two rushing touchdowns, while tight end Noah Gray topped the receiving stats with 66 yards on four catches.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs forced three turnovers, all interceptions thrown by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and limited San Francisco to just 2-of-11 on third-down conversions. The 49ers’ rushing attack, which had been averaging 5.0 yards per carry, managed only 4.2 yards against Kansas City.
Reactions from Fans
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the Chiefs’ Week 7 victory and the mounting injuries to the team. One user noted, “Jaylen Watson’s injury will impact the team more than most fans realize. We lost JuJu [Smith-Schuster] early in the game too. Injuries keep piling up, but this team somehow just wins. They have an uncanny ability to make opponents play poorly against them.”
Another user commented, “Losing Jaylen Watson is the biggest blow the Chiefs have faced so far. You might not notice it against the Raiders next week, but Baker [Mayfield] will exploit the secondary on Monday Night Football.”
A third user speculated about defensive adjustments: “With Jaylen Watson likely out for some time, I bet Spags will get creative with Jaden Hicks’ snaps, similar to how he moved Kendall Fuller from cornerback to safety. I’m curious about how he’ll use [Chamarri] Conner, Hicks, and [Nazeeh] Johnson.”