The Chiefs came into Sunday’s game against the Titans missing two of their starting offensive linemen and they lost two more in the final minutes of the first half.
Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz left with a knee injury and the team moved Martinas Rankin out from guard to replace him. Rankin needed to be carted off with a knee injury of his own on his first play in his new spot. Rankin has been ruled out and Schwartz, who had played 7,894 straight snaps before his injury, is considered questionable to return.
Left tackle Eric Fisher and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif are both inactive, so the team has no healthy backup linemen on hand for the second half.
Losing the two linemen didn’t stop the Chiefs from picking up a late field goal to make it a 13-13 tie at halftime. The Chiefs raced out to a 10-0 lead, but the Titans drove for a touchdown early in the second quarter and linebacker Rashaan Evans returned a Damien Williams for a 53-yard touchdown.
Patrick Mahomes is 21-of-27 for 213 yards in his return to the Chiefs lineup and the Chiefs have run 41 offensive plays to just 18 for the Titans. They haven’t exploited that edge on the scoreboard, however, and it’s all even heading into the second half.
UPDATE 2:55 p.m. ET: Schwartz returned in the third quarter.