The Kansas City Chiefs are losing reliable kicker Cairo Santos. The team just announced that Santos is being placed on injured reserve. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said it’s to be determined if he could return this season.

We have placed K Cairo Santos on Injured Reserve.



We have signed K Harrison Butker from the Carolina Panthers’ Practice Squad. pic.twitter.com/VmujzGZirp — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 26, 2017

The IR-return rule is that he could be on IR for six weeks and then open a two week window where he can return to the roster. So he could come back depending on what the injury is.

The Chiefs didn’t specify the injury but Santos was hit hard on a field goal attempt in Sunday’s game against the Chargers. There was a penalty called on the play as a Chargers player barreled into Santos’s legs after he kicked the field goal (which he missed).

This is a tough one because, as we know in Kansas City, kickers can make or break a game. Santos was reliable and hadn’t missed any games to this point. He did miss a few weeks in the preseason. He’s in the final year of his deal so this could be it for him in Kansas City too.

I don’t know anything about this new kicker but presumably special teams coach Dave Toub signed off on it. This one could hurt.