Jamaal Charles Injury: How Is Chiefs Star's Left Leg?

As if things weren't bad enough for the Kansas City Chiefs, star running back Jamaal Charles had to be carted off the field in today's 48-3 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Charles' injury occurred in the first quarter when he tried to stretch for the first down marker while running along the sideline. Once he was out of bounds, he appeared to land awkwardly on his left leg. That caused him to hit the deck, and he was carted off shortly thereafter.

Needless to say, this was a nightmare scenario for the Chiefs. The only question now is how badly Charles is hurt.

Injury Update

As the Associated Press tells the story, Charles' return to the game was originally deemed questionable. By the time the third quarter rolled around, however, Charles was officially ruled out for the rest of the game.

There's still no official word on what kind of injury Charles suffered or how long he might be out, but it certainly appears to be significant. Charles could be seen clutching his knee immediately after he went down, and he was unable to put any weight on it afterwards.

When's He Ready to Return?

At this point, that's a really good question. If the Chiefs are lucky, Charles will have a mere bruise that won't force him to miss any time. If the Chiefs are not so lucky, Charles will have suffered a season-ending injury (i.e. a torn ACL).

What They're Saying

At the time Charles' return was still questionable, Will Brinson of CBS Sports took the opportunity to offer a few words of wisdom about the Chiefs season as a whole:

"

Also questionable? The Chiefs chances of succeeding in what already appears to be a snakebitten season. They've lost tight end Tony Moeaki and safety Eric Berry for the season, and if the Charles injury is serious, an offense that hasn't really been able to get rolling is going to struggle even further.

"

Given the fact the Chiefs have been outscored 89-10 in their first two games, it's hard to argue with Brinson.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.