The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII “bye week” begins after a few days off in preparation for their game against the San Francisco 49ers the following weekend.
Four players were listed as not practicing on Wednesday’s projected injury report released by the club. The list included defensive lineman Charles Omenihu (knee), running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle/toe), defensive tackle Chris Jones (quad), and left guard Joe Thuney (pectoral). Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (neck), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee), and wideout Skyy Moore (knee) were all classified as limited.
Kansas City will be able to provide an official injury report on Thursday afternoon once they resume practice. Along with the three condensed estimates from Wednesday, Jones and Pacheco are scheduled to put in some work.
Head coach Andy Reid grabbed the platform before practice on Thursday and gave some quick updates on Omenihu and Thuney.
CHARLES OMENIHU ANNOUNCES HIS ABSENCE FROM SUPER BOWL LIVING VIII
Reid began by confirming Omenihu’s damaged ACL. The fifth-year player left the game early after only six snaps due to an injury he sustained during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game victory against the Baltimore Ravens. After receiving an MRI on Monday, Omenihu’s early optimism about his ability to play despite the injury in the Super Bowl was dashed. Reid stated that Omenihu’s absence from Super Bowl LVIII is anticipated.
Linebacker Nick Bolton also spoke on Thursday, talking about Omenihu’s absence and what the club would need from him off the field.
“It’s huge, yeah,” Bolton remarked. “He returned and was able to provide for us; we had missed him earlier in the season. He’s one of those men that you really don’t want to see fail. You definitely feel bad for him because he’s worked hard to get here and was able to play against his former squad at that location and on that platform. However, he will be among those men in the institution who will see to it that he maintains the energy. We still need your spirits around the facilities,’ I mentioned to him when we spoke yesterday. We’re going to require your enthusiasm and encouragement. All we can do is rely on him.
A SMALL UPDATE REGARDING JOE THUNEY’S PEC DAMAGE In addition, Reid made a quick observation on Thuney, who strained his pectoral during the Chiefs’ Divisional Round victory against the Buffalo Bills. Thuney will miss his fourth consecutive practice, but his head coach said he won’t be out of the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Reid declared, “Thuney won’t practice today.” “Making strides, never give up. We’ll simply have to wait and see.
The conference championship game saw backup left guard Nick Allegretti step in well for Thuney, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Thuney missed the Super Bowl. However, Kansas City would like to start its All-Pro starter against a strong 49ers defensive front.
