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Derrick Johnson exits Thursday Night Football with Achilles injury

By John Buhler

Nov 20, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) is introduced before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead Stadium. Tampa Bay won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) is introduced before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arrowhead Stadium. Tampa Bay won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson had to exit Thursday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders after suffering an Achilles injury.

The Kansas City Chiefs took a 21-10 lead over the arch rival Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football in Week 14. Quarterback Alex Smith was playing great and wide receiver Tyreek Hill was explosive. However, it wasn’t all good for the Chiefs in the first half.

Late in the second quarter, linebacker Derrick Johnson suffered an Achilles injury on a non-contact play in the middle of the field. He fell to the ground and threw his helmet off in disgust after injuring his leg.

Kansas City is in great position to win Thursday Night Football over Oakland. Doing so would give the Chiefs the series tiebreaker over the Raiders in the AFC West race. The winner of the AFC West will almost certainly get a first-round bye in the 2016 AFC Playoffs.

However, an Achilles injury would mean the end to Johnson’s 2016 NFL season. That’s a multi-month recovery time for even the most in-shape of athletes. If it is a torn Achilles’ tendon, that means Johnson won’t play another snap for the Chiefs this year.

That would be a huge loss for the Kansas City defense. While Kansas City has several great defensive players, Johnson is a defensive leader for this team. He is kind of the glue guy in the middle of the Kansas City front seven.

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Johnson’s injury puts a ton of pressure on a young Ramik Wilson in the Chiefs linebacker corps. Kansas City has playmakers in all three levels of its defense. It can survive a season-ending injury from Johnson, but it will be something the Chiefs will have to overcome defensively to orchestrate a deep AFC Playoff run this January.

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