Drue Tranquill leaves the Packers game due to an apparent injury
Two players were already out for the Kansas City Chiefs going into their Week 13 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, and another appeared to be hurt early on. Linebacker Drue Tranquill left Kansas City’s Sunday Night Football game after a first-and-10 play from the Green Bay 34-yard line. AJ Dillon, the running back, struck Tranquill in the head/shoulder region with his knee at the conclusion of a rushing attempt. Tranquill stayed on the field as the commercial break began, eventually making his way to the sidelines with assistance from the Chiefs’ training staff.
Tranquill was evaluated in the on-site medical tent, then returned to the locker room for additional testing. Jack Cochrane took Tranquill’s place as the team’s MIKE linebacker. The Chiefs have stated that Tranquill is undergoing evaluation for a concussion.
This season, Tranquill—who signed with Kansas City in the offseason—has proven to be an even more valuable asset than the team had anticipated. Nick Bolton has played in just four games due to a high ankle sprain and a dislocated wrist, so Tranquill has taken over as the team’s starting linebacker. Consequently, the veteran player in his fifth year has played more than 500 defensive snaps this season (74% of those that were available). The Chiefs’ percentages were 99, 95, 98, and 100 in their last four games.
As we approached Week 13, Tranquill was contributing to the Kansas City defense in a variety of ways. Having accumulated 70 tackles (six of which were for loss), 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception, his versatility makes him a standout player on that attack. In addition, Tranquill easily leads the team in Pro Football Focus “stops” made. Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs, talked earlier this week about the value Tranquill has added to the team since Bolton has been out. What he said was as follows:
“I think the whole translation gets lost in this: we lost a really good football player in Nick Bolton for a number of games here, but as I’ve said before, we slid Drue in there and haven’t really skipped a beat in terms of having to cut things back. You guys know that the chemistry and communication between the linebackers and back end need to be like this (hands together motion). Though occasionally that does happen, we didn’t lose that at all.”
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