The Kansas City Chiefs were on the verge of their second straight ticket to the Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday when they received gut-wrenching news in the final quarter. Offensive tackle Eric Fisher has been ruled out for a possible Super Bowl LV match-up versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week after injuring his Achilles.
NFL Network's Ian Rappaport confirmed the Chiefs' biggest fears at Arrowhead Stadium.
A big blow with an eye toward the Super Bowl: #Chiefs LT Eric Fisher is out with an achilles injury. Brutal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2021
Fans were immediately worried for the 30-year-old OT after he fell hard in the opening minute of the fourth period. Fisher instantly held onto his left Achilles in pain as he stayed on the field for quite some time. Here's the sequence that led to the injury of the Chiefs star.
I am worried about an Achilles rupture on this play for starting Kansas City Chiefs LT Eric Fisher which would be a HUGE loss. Cannot exclude calf strain based on only one view but I am very worried about Achilles #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/G7onbL7AGc
— Eric Friedman, MD (@sportsinjuryMD) January 25, 2021
The extent of Eric Fisher's injury remains unclear at the time, but his possible absence against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers could be problematic for the defending NFL Super Bowl champions. The Chiefs are still awaiting the results of an MRI for the timetable of his return next season.
Kansas City will certainly need all the reinforcements they can get against the much-improved Buccaneers, who ousted favorites Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers earlier, 31-26 at Lambeau Field. Fisher has been a solid contributor to the Chiefs' success this season, and they'll need another guy to step up in his stead.