26 January 2024
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will be without several starters against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.
First-team All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney (pec), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (tricep), wide receiver Skyy Moore (knee, IR) and backup offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (quad, IR) have been ruled out of the game with injuries.
Linebacker Willie Gay (neck), safety Mike Edwards, running back Isiah Pacheco (toe) and wide receiver Kadarius Toney have been ruled questionable for the game.
Gay, Toney, Nnadi and Thuney all missed Friday’s practice. Gay practiced on Wednesday and Thursday in a limited capacity.
Pacheco (toe) also practiced on Friday (limited) after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday (participated in Thursday’s walkthrough), but said on Wednesday that he expects to play.
Edwards missed Wednesday’s practice since he also left the Bills game with a concussion but practiced on Thursday (limited) and Friday (full) as he works to complete concussion protocol.
Toney (hip) went from a full participant on Wednesday to a limited participant on Thursday and Friday.
Veteran backup Nick Allegretti will step in for Thuney as he did in the AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills. This is Allegretti’s fifth season with the team since the Chiefs drafted him in the seventh round in 2019 and he has played over 1,100 offensive snaps during his time.
“Allegretti is a guy that has started for us for a number of games,” head coach Andy Reid said this week.
“All of the guys look at him like he’s a starter, so everybody’s got confidence that he can come in and do a nice job, tough kid. Not everything is the prettiest thing that you’ve ever seen, but he’s going to fight you right to the end and he’s smart, good combination.”
Thuney left the Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills early with a pec strain.
Gay is a pivotal piece of the defense with his ability to spy on athletic quarterbacks like Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. Reid said Gay had a stiff neck but is getting better.
Gay has 58 tackles and four pass deflections this season.
Veteran LB Drue Tranquill will eat up his snaps if he can’t play with his 78 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season.
Nnadi missed the Buffalo game with the same injury and was seen in the locker room with an arm brace.
Moore is still on injured reserve with a knee injury and would need to be put on the active roster to be eligible to play. His 21-day window to return to play opened last week, and he did not play against Buffalo.