"The Chiefs officially ended the season for quarterback Matt Cassel before Monday night's game against the Patriots when they placed him on the injured-reserve list.

Cassel injured his passing hand late in last week's loss to Denver. He subsequently had surgery, and Chiefs players were told last week that Cassel would not return again this season.

Coach Todd Haley said after the Chiefs' 34-3 defeat that it was unlikely Cassel would have been able to return before the end of the season.

"It's the right hand of a right-handed quarterback," Haley said. "It was going to take some time (to heal). We put a lot of thought into it as an organization with our doctors. We just made the decision we thought was in the best interest of us and him.""