The Kansas City Chiefs likely had their hearts in their throats today when Jamaal Charles fell to the turf untouched with an injury that caused him to be carted off the practice field.
Charles tore his ACL two seasons ago in the regular season in similar fashion. As he bolted down the right sideline he came up lame, hopping out of bounds before crumpling to the ground. He missed the remainder of the year.
The Chiefs are coming off an embarrassing season that saw them win just two games; on the plus side they drafted their left tackle of the future in Eric Fisher, who had positive results on his thumb after hurting it in Kansas City's preseason opener. He may be nearly as important as Charles is to the team's running game while pulling double duty as new quarterback Alex Smith's blindside protector.
Still, Charles is the team's star player and an injury to him could spell doom for Kansas City. While he's never been a touchdown maven, Charles was explosive last year amassing 1,509 yards on just 285 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt.
He's also a threat in the passing game as he reeled in 35 passes for 236 yards and a score. He put up those numbers with the league's worst passing attack that should be much improved with Smith at the helm.
Charles not only represents a dual threat out of the Chiefs' backfield; he's also the top big-play threat. Of his five rushing touchdowns in 2012, three were strikes from 80 yards out or further, including a 91-yard score in Week 3. He has six rushing touchdowns of 50 yards or more in his five-year career.
Several media members covering the Chiefs said that being carted off the field is standard procedure at this point in the season and that does not mean the injury is serious. Reports are trickling out that his injury is simply a foot strain, which is a relief to Chiefs fans and the organization.
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