Report: Chiefs' Sammy Watkins Avoided Major Injury; Likely to Rest vs. Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins suffered a calf injury during his team's 17-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but there is a "good chance" he will be back in time for the playoffs, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The 14-1 Chiefs, who have already clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the conference's postseason, have one regular-season game left against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

They'll have the following weekend off before hosting an AFC Divisional Round game against a to-be-determined opponent on either Saturday, Jan. 16 or Sunday, Jan. 17.

Watkins missed four consecutive games with a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 5. Through his first five outings, the 27-year-old posted 222 yards on 21 receptions and added two touchdowns to start his third season with the defending Super Bowl champions. He's posted 37 receptions for 421 yards and two scores in 10 total games this year.

The 2014 first-round pick has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, having played a complete season just once through his seven seasons in the league, which has included stints with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.

With Watkins out, the Chiefs have turned to Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson to lead a receiving corps that is also stacked at tight end (Travis Kelce) and running back (Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le'Veon Bell), ranking first in the league in total receiving yards (4,637) and receiving yards per game (309.1).

Edwards-Helaire is recovering from a high-ankle sprain and hip strain, but Rapoport reported on Dec. 21 that the team is "hopeful for a playoff return."