KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs center Mitch Morse left Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, suffering a sprained foot according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Kansas City Chiefs center Mitch Morse (left) pass protects for quarterback Alex Smith during the team’s 27-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo courtesy Chiefs PR, Chiefs.com)
Reid gave no details of the injury’s severity or if it could keep the third-year starter of the team’s next game at the Los Angeles Chargers in a week.
“We’ll just see how he does here,” Reid.
Morse was initially spotted in the locker room limping in his bare feet. He left the locker room, however, wearing a soft case on his foot and using crutches.
Quarterback Alex Smith called Morse the glue of offensive line, responsible for making calls at the line and keeping everyone on the same page.
“There’s a lot of unspoken communication between the center and I, especially with Mitch though,” Smith said. “It’s a big adjustment when he goes out.”
Zach Fulton stepped into Morse’s place on the offensive line. One the first play after Morse’s exit, Smith completed a shovel pass to tight end Travis Kelce right behind Fulton.
“So fortunate enough for Zach, same thing,” Smith said. “He’s played in a lot of big games. He’s been in there before so I don’t think anyone blinks.”
Having Fulton available off the bench played a factor in the team grooming Bryan Witzmann to fill in at left guard. That allows Fulton to fill in at any position on the offensive line in the event of an injury without reshuffling multiple positions.
If Fulton started at left guard when Morse went down, the Chiefs must move Fulton to center and bring in another lineman to play guard, creating disruption at two positions.
That insurance policy came in handy against the Eagles.
“Hopefully Mitch gets healthy and he’s back soon,” Smith said. “Fortunate though to have Zach step in like that.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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