The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line will miss one of its most important components for the Super Bowl LV clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed on Monday that their Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher is dealing with a torn Achilles and won’t play in the title game. Fisher suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game win over Buffalo Bills.
“He’s got a torn Achilles tendon,” said Reid. “And they’re observing now exactly how bad, what needs to be done here and how soon.”
Fisher, who was the Chiefs’ first overall pick in 2013, has played every snap this season except Week 17, when Kansas City decided to rest the majority of their starters. The 30-year-old player earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl in the process.
Without Eric Fisher on the field, the Chiefs face a big challenge to keep up with Tampa Bay’s aggressive defense. The Bucs have been successful in finding their way to opponents’ quarterbacks recently and were especially efficient in the NFC Championship Game when they sacked Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times.
Kansas City has other struggles on the O-line besides Fisher’s absence. Starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has been out since Week 6 and is unlikely to return in time for Super Bowl, while his backup Mike Remmers also had several health issues in recent weeks.
The Chiefs can now only hope that other guys can step up and create enough time for quarterback Patrick Mahomes to do what he does best.
