KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Green Bay running back A.J. Dillon’s knee dealt the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense a massive blow on the opening drive of Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field.
Starting middle linebacker Drue Tranquill, who calls the defensive plays and sets the defense for the Chiefs, got kneed in the head on a 5-yard run to the right on the game’s seventh play.
Tranquill appeared to go limp as he fell to the turf and stayed down for several minutes before medical staff helped him to the sideline.
He was spotted heading to the locker room, and the Chiefs said he was “being evaluated for a concussion” via social media.
At the start of the third quarter, Kansas City officially ruled out Tranquill with a concussion.
Tranquill was already filling in for injured Nick Bolton, who suffered a dislocated wrist against the Los Angeles Chargers and had surgery in late October.
Jack Cochrane replaced Tranquill, who had already made two tackles, in the lineup — wearing the “green dot" helmet, which allows for communication with the coaching staff.
Entering the game, Tranquill led Kansas City with 70 tackles, including a team-high 48 solo tackles, this season.
He is second on the Chiefs with two forced fumbles, tied for second with six tackles for a loss, and ranks third with 3 1/2 sacks.
Tranquill spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Chargers before signing with Kansas City in the offseason.
Cochrane, a core special teams player, has 10 tackles on the season, but he’s only played 35 defensive snaps in his career entering Sunday’s primetime showdown.
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