The Kansas City Chiefs received brutal news following the conclusion of the 2019 regular season, and it'll impact what they do in the playoffs in a major way. Juan Thornhill, the team's rookie second-round pick, has been diagnosed with a torn ACL suffered in the team's Week 17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers -- head coach Andy Reid announced Monday.
Thornhill instantly became an impact player for the Chiefs and helped to define a secondary looking to establish an identity going into the 2019 season. The former First-Team All-ACC talent racked up 57 combined tackles along with five pass breakups and three interceptions this season, and he didn't miss a game from September through December.
That streak ends as January rolls around, with surgery being required to repair his injury.
The Chiefs earned a first-round bye with their win over the Chargers and the New England Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins, giving them time to figure out how to scheme for the void created by the absence of Thornhill. That will not be an easy task, to say the least, but they feel confident they can still field a secondary ready to take the ball away from opposing quarterbacks, with All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu having a lot to do with that formula.
Others will need to step up to match the intensity of Mathieu with Thornhill's season now over, in what has become a harsh end his otherwise his stellar first season in the NFL.
