The initial fears regarding Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher's injury have been confirmed.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the left tackle tore his Achilles during Sunday's 38-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills, per a source informed of the situation.
Coach Andy Reid intimated the news would be bad Sunday night when he said, "it doesn't look too good with his Achilles." Reid confirmed the news on Monday afternoon.
It's a brutal blow for Fisher and the Chiefs, heading to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sans their starting left tackle. With right tackle Mitchell Schwartz also still out due to a back injury, K.C. is looking at facing the Bucs without both of their starting tackles in the Super Bowl LV. Reid suggested Monday that he is not optimistic that Schwartz will be able to return in two weeks.
We saw what type of damage Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul can cause against backup offensive linemen in the NFC Championship Game when they harassed Aaron Rodgers, who was missing star left tackle David Bakhtiari. The absence of Fisher could prove a massive hole for the Chiefs to overcome.
After Fisher exited the game, Mike Remmers moved from right tackle to left tackle, Andrew Wylie moved to RT from right guard, and veteran Stefen Wisniewski entered the game at RG. The Chiefs have two weeks to figure out the best combo of five to protect Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
It's doubly poor timing for Fisher -- not that there is ever a "good time" to blow your Achilles. The 29-year-old heads into a contract year in 2021 and will have to battle to get back on the field, with the season starting in eight months.
