KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sammy Watkins returned to the Chiefs lineup for Saturday's Divisional Playoff win, playing 81 of the offense's 87 snaps, and head coach Andy Reid said the receiver's right foot feels fine despite the heavy workload.
“I think he's doing OK,” Reid said Monday. “He felt good after the game, and he felt pretty good yesterday. I mean, he's sore just from playing but the foot feels good.”
Watkins played a mere five snaps during the team's final seven games of the regular season after injuring his right foot against Cleveland in Week 9. The Chiefs shut down Watkins after he tried to go against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11 but exited the contest early.
Watkins credited the team's athletic training staff for his recovery to get the team a lift for the playoffs.
“Just being on the field was great,” Watkins said. “Giving those guys energy, you know we’re all feeding off each other. It’s a blessing.”
Reid says Watkins adds a different dimension to the team's offense.
“He's physical and strong, and he's tough to say, 'OK, we're going to go man-to-man on this guy and do it consistently,'” Reid said. “He's got a good size and strength and can catch.”
Reid and general manager Brett Veach now face another decision regarding the return of an injured player. The three-week window for offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to practice with the club closes on Tuesday. The club must either return Duvernay-Tardif to the 53-player roster on Tuesday or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
If the Chiefs choose to return Duvernay-Tardif, they must make another corresponding roster move to free a spot for him.
“We'll see how he does throughout today, and then Brett and I will get together and talk through that,” Reid said.
Reid also reported the team came out of Saturday's game with no new notable injuries. Safety Eric Berry, running back Spencer Ware (hamstring) and linebacker Dorian O'Daniel (calf/ankle) did not play against Indianapolis, but Reid said all remain day-to-decisions for both practice and this week's AFC title game.
“We'll just see how it goes as they work through the next couple of days,” Reid said
