Chiefs OL Lucas Niang 'believed' to have suffered season-ending injury

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs OL Lucas Niang 'believed' to have suffered season-ending torn patellar tendon

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Jan 2, 2022 7:06 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Cincinatti Bengals 34-31 in Week 17 in dramatic fashion. It appears that they also lost a crucial member of their starting offensive line for the rest of the season.

#Chiefs OL Lucas Niang is believed to have suffered a patellar tendon tear, source said. A significant injury that ends his 2021 season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2022

Niang was selected by Kansas City in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, but opted out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entering Week 17, the 23-year-old had played in 11 games and made eight starts this year.

Coming into the contest against the Bengals, Niang had been on the field for 519 offensive snaps (66%) and 47 snaps on special teams (17%).

The Chiefs are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture and will play the Denver Broncos in Week 18 at 4:25 p.m. ET on Jan. 9.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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