The Kansas City Chiefs lost more than a game on Sunday. According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, wide receiver Sammy Watkins -- who left the game in the second quarter before briefly returning in the third and then exiting again -- will miss some time, "possibly a couple weeks," due to the hamstring injury that preceded his exit.
Once he left the game, second-year wideout Mecole Hardman became a near-every-down player while Demarcus Robinson worked as the team's No. 3. For as long as Watkins out, that will likely be the arrangement. Byron Pringle could see more snaps as well, and the Chiefs could call up Gehrig Dieter, Joe Fortson, Chad Williams, or Maurice Ffrench from the practice squad.
Watkins, who caught two passes for 24 yards and a touchdown before leaving Sunday's game, has been operating as the Chiefs' No. 2 wide receiver for the past three years. His production has been largely underwhelming in comparison to his contract, but he has an excellent playoff run to help the Chiefs win the Super Bowl last season, catching 14 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown in three postseason games.
It had been widely rumored that the Chiefs would move on from Watkins in the offseason due to his burdensome salary, but they ended up keeping him, extending Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones, and continuing apace. The Chiefs began the season 4-0 before falling to the Raiders on Sunday, and have games against the Bills and Broncos over the next two weeks.
