The Chiefs will be without one of their biggest offensive threats when they visit Atlanta on Sunday. Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s second-leading rusher, was ruled out Saturday with a groin injury. It will be his first missed game since joining Kansas City, and rookie Emmett Johnson is expected to take his place.
The game had been shaping up as a showcase for the league’s two leading rushers. Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson has 880 rushing yards, eight more than Walker’s 872. Walker has also caught 22 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns; Robinson has added 250 receiving yards.
Walker was listed as questionable after tweaking his groin at Thursday’s practice. Coach Andy Reid said the team would keep an eye on his progress over the next couple of days.
Johnson has made the most of his opportunities this season. The fifth-round pick from Nebraska has 111 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, along with 14 catches for 237 yards and another score.
“He’s going to play anyway, whether Ken’s there or not,” Reid said Friday. “Everybody has confidence in him.”
Depth behind Johnson could be an issue for Kansas City. Brashard Smith went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Oct. 24, and Ott is questionable for Sunday with a sore hamstring. Ott had three carries for 19 yards in last week’s blowout win over the Jets.
The Chiefs did get some welcome news about Patrick Mahomes. The two-time NFL MVP practiced fully throughout the week and has no injury designation for Sunday’s game.
Mahomes appeared to recover after taking a hard hit to his right arm in the 35-12 win over the Jets. An MRI later showed no major injury to his right elbow.
Kansas City was scheduled to fly to Atlanta on Saturday and did not expect a change to its travel plans after the Federal Aviation Administration’s ground stoppage the day before. Defensive tackle Chris Jones was not traveling with the team for personal reasons, but the Chiefs said he would join them in Atlanta. He has no game designation.
