As far as the defensive line of the Kansas City Chiefs goes, the 2016 campaign was supposed to be the year of the “3 Amigos,” the self-dubbed nickname of returning stars and close friends Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey and Jaye Howard.
But predicting life isn’t easy—and, in the realm of football, predicting injuries is near impossible.
Bailey tore his right pectoral muscle in the Chiefs’ Week 6 win against the Raiders. Three weeks later, Howard injured his hip, and he wouldn’t play again the rest of the season.
The Chiefs D-line was thus forced to play from Week 9 forward without the duo’s nine combined years of experience, Poe the lone staple.