Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston rejoined the team at practice on Thursday after being held out of practice on Wednesday, but his status for Sunday’s game against the Raiders remains in doubt.
Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports that Houston has not yet received clearance to play in Week Six after taking a hit to the head and neck in last week’s victory over the Titans. As of Wednesday, Houston reportedly had no symptoms of a concussion but the team appears to be handling it in a similar fashion than if he’d been diagnosed with one.
That makes him questionable at best for the date with Oakland. Losing Houston, who was named the AFC’s defensive player of the month for September after recording 7.5 sacks in the season’s opening month, would be a blow for the Chiefs defense but not an insurmountable one given the rest of their defense.
Even though it falls short of a catastrophe for Kansas City, Houston’s absence wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Raiders’ chances of getting back to .500 on the season.