According to sources, the Houston Texans' first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jadeveon Clowney, has a torn meniscus, and Chiefs' starters Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito ruptured their Achilles tendons on Sunday.
Clowney suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter against the Washington Redskins. Originally reported to be an MCL injury, it was later confirmed that Clowney tore his meniscus and will need to undergo surgery, which will keep him out of action for four-to-six weeks. The 21-year-old already had an operation for a sports hernia in June and suffered a concussion in training camp.
But at least Houston saw some good come out of Sunday when they defeated Washington 17-6. The Kansas City Chiefs had no such luck, as they lost their home opener 26-10 to the Tennessee Titans and lost two starters on the defensive side of the ball for the remainder of the season.
Derrick Johnson, the team's Pro Bowl linebacker, ruptured his Achilles tendon in a non-contact incident. The former first round draft pick led the team in tackles over the past four seasons and has been one of the best linebackers in the NFL, missing just one game over that time span. This will be a big loss for Kansas City, who didn't look great in their first game of the season.
They'll also be without Mike DeVito for the rest of the year due to the same injury. The Chiefs' starting defensive end in the 3-4 scheme sustained an Achilles tear in the third quarter and head coach Andy Reid confirmed it after the game. It looks like the Chiefs could be in even more trouble because they surrendered a total of 405 yards on the day, including 162 rushing yards to a combination of Shonn Greene, Dexter McCluster, Bishop Sankey, Leon Washington and Jake Locker.
A number of other players suffered injuries in Week 1 and could miss some time, including San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver (concussion), Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins (knee), Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (ankle), Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict (concussion), and Cleveland Browns running back Ben Tate (knee).
There should be more news about the status of these players within the next few days.
