With their season teetering on the brink at 6-6, the Kansas City Chiefs desperately needed a lifeline after a Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The team is currently at 6-6, and with five games left in the season, the pressure is already high. And the injury concerns from that game only made things worse. But in the last few hours, head coach Andy Reid and the squad finally got some good news about their injured tackle.

RT Jawaan Taylor’s elbow injury that he sustained during the 31-28 loss to the Cowboys might not be serious, as per sources.

“Taylor, who sustained a triceps injury on Thursday, could play next week vs. the Texans depending on how he feels throughout this week,” Matt Verderame wrote on X.

Taylor sustained the injury during the second quarter of the game. Although he was listed as questionable, Taylor ultimately couldn’t return to help the Chiefs. His potential Week 14 return could address part of the Chiefs’ problems by filling the gap in the starting lineup. As for the left tackle spot, there are still concerns.

LT Josh Simmons suffered a dislocated and fractured wrist in the third quarter and was ruled out in the fourth. He is sidelined indefinitely. In his absence, Wanya Morris will be expected to step up. This is a major help for coach Andy Reid.

But there’s no timeline for the return of Chiefs right guard Trey Smith, who missed Week 13 after spraining his right ankle against the Indianapolis Colts. If he is unable to play in Week 14, Mike Caliendo is expected to take his place. The Chiefs, however, also avoided another injury trouble on defense.

As per insider Jeremy Fowler, defensive back Bryan Cook’s ankle injury isn’t serious. After sustaining the injury in the second drive of the game, he tried to return. However, he couldn’t play with the same energy as before and ultimately left.

More details are expected from the team, but for now, that’s a positive signal. With at least 10 days for players to rest, both Taylor and Cook might be available for the next game. And coach Reid will need every player healthy as the team’s dire situation gets called out by a former player.

Should Andy Reid’s Chiefs finally start to panic?

Even after their disastrous losses in recent weeks, the Chiefs’ locker room has stayed hopeful that things would turn around, but that improvement hasn’t shown up this season. So the question now is, should the Chiefs finally start worrying as their playoff hopes are on the verge of slipping away?

Former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith believes this is a critical moment for Kansas City.

“It’s major panic time,” he said in an interview. “I thought Patrick said it brilliantly. They can beat anybody. They can lose to anybody as well. And they got to win out. They got the Texans this next weekend, the best defense in the NFL. Their margin of error is so small. And for me, this is the thing that sticks out, the defense… cannot get off the field on third down.”

He stressed that both the offense and defense need to be better.

“It used to be elite. Chris Jones is obviously a game-changer. They’re 28th in the NFL this year on third down. Since Week 8, they’re dead last on third down as a defense,” he added. “Offense is converting 52 percent of the time, that’s crazy.”

The Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for nine straight years. While there’s almost no hope for that streak, their playoff chances are also in jeopardy. For the first time in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ starting career, Kansas City is at real risk of missing the postseason. The panic button might already be on as the Chiefs prepare to face one of the league’s toughest defenses in the Houston Texans.