The Kansas City Chiefs got a big win Saturday, blowing out the Houston Texans 30-0. However, they also suffered a major loss.
Wideout Jeremy Maclin was carted to the locker room in the second half after suffering a knee injury. With Maclin's history of knee issues, including a torn ACL in 2013, and the tears streaming down his face as he left the field, it isn't hard to conclude this injury is significant.
Related: Chiefs' Maclin reportedly suffered ACL injury, will undergo MRI
Do the Chiefs have a chance in the divisional round and beyond without their leading receiver? Yes, but it'll take a monumental performance from the team's defense.
The good news is such a performance appears well within reach.
The Chiefs suffocated all life out of the Texans on Saturday, forcing Brian Hoyer into five turnovers.
The Chiefs dominated the game on the offensive line, where Jaye Howard, Dontari Poe, and Allen Bailey had their way with their opponents. They dominated off the edge, too, despite lingering injuries to Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. And they dominated at the second level and on the perimeter, where the NFL's most opportunistic secondary continued to be a menace.
The result was the team's 11th straight win, an incredible feat considering its 1-5 start.
Maclin's loss will certainly be painful. There are few receivers in the NFL more vital to his team's passing attack than Maclin. He finished the season with 1,088 yards receiving - more than twice as many as any of the Chiefs' other wideouts - and eight touchdowns.
In 2014, with Maclin still a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs famously failed to throw a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver.
But they still went 9-7, narrowly missing the playoffs.
This isn't the path the Chiefs wanted, but it's not a path into darkness. Andy Reid can conjure up a game plan heavy on running plays (featuring not only his tailbacks, but quarterback Alex Smith, too) and short passes to tight end Travis Kelce and young, unproven wideouts Albert Wilson and Chris Conley.
Consider the 2013 Seattle Seahawks as the model. That team won a Super Bowl on the strength of an elite defense, a strong rushing attack, Russell Wilson's mobility, and a group of young, unproven pass catchers.
