KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midway through the first quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a key member of the defensive line.
Tackle Tershawn Wharton, a key rotational piece when Chris Jones needs a break, suffered a knee injury and didn't return to Monday night's showdown against the rival Las Vegas Raiders.
After the game, Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed that Wharton suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.
The typical recovery time for such an injury, especially for lineman, is roughly a year.
Wharton almost certainly will end up on injured reserve next week with Danny Shelton, a former first-round pick who was signed during training camp, the most logical candidate to jump to the active roster.
Wharton was injured on a screen pass to Brandon Bolden, one play before the Raiders grabbed the early lead on Derek Carr’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Kansas City's defensive line took another blow early in the second half when the club announced that defensive end Frank Clark was questionable to return with an undisclosed illness.
Through four games, Wharton had a sack and eight tackles, which ranked fourth among all Chiefs defensive linemen.
After leaving the field, Wharton was helped by two members of Kansas City’s training staff to the blue medical tent for evaluation.
Soon after, trainers fetched a cart and Wharton climbed on the back, keeping his left leg straight as he was wheeled to the locker room.
The Chiefs quickly ruled out Wharton with a knee injury.
Among other injuries for the Chiefs, safety Bryan Cook left with a concussion, cornerback Chris Lammons hurt his hip and fellow corner Rashad Fenton had cramps.
