PITTSBURGH _ The Chiefs' second preseason game may prove costly with a handful of players leaving with injuries throughout the 17-7 loss.
Starting safety Tyrann Mathieu sustained a shoulder injury after playing just three defensive snaps, but it doesn't appear to be serious. In a Sunday conference call, coach Andy Reid said there was a "good chance" Mathieu would've stayed in the game if it were a regular-season game.
Despite injuries to Mathieu and others, Reid doesn't believe he will change his playing time strategy entering the third game against the 49ers.
"I've been doing this for a number of years," Reid said on a Sunday teleconference. "Things happen. It's a physical game, and so I've had success doing it this way.
"It's a physical game and the things that we've got, we're probably coming out of this with one or two guys that are hurt for the duration. But that happens. You're seeing a lot of these major injuries happen in practice. And knock on wood, we've kind of kept it out of that. Things happen."
If his past rotations hold, Reid will allow more starters to play through halftime. So far, though, quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn't played more than half a quarter in the preseason.
The most significant injuries came on the offensive side of the ball. Tight end Deon Yelder left with an ankle injury after making a 27-yard catch in the first quarter. He was wearing a walking boot and using crutches after the game.
Marcus Kemp, a wide receiver and special teams leader, was also injured making a grab. He sustained a knee injury, but Reid didn't have an update on the severity of it on Sunday.
"He probably looks like the most significant (injury)," Reid said after the game. "We're calling it a knee sprain but we'll see when he has his MRI."
