Super Bowl Injury Report: Trio of Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receivers Questionable
The Kansas City Chiefs saw tercet different astray receivers leave the AFC Championship due to an injury, and the status of all ternary get yet to be updated for Super Bowl LVII.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney, and Mecole Hardman from each one sustained an injury against the Cincinnati Bengals inward the AFC Championship. Despite a low full receiving corps, the Chiefs held cancelled the Bengals in a 23-20 victory and modern to the Super Bowl for the third clip inwards the last-place IV years.
Tight final stage Travis Kelce (back spasms) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (high mortise joint sprain) were both dinged-up entering the AFC Championship, but both stars played the total game. Kelce led the Chiefs with vii receptions, and added 78 yards and ace touchdown in the win o'er the Bengals.
Oddsmakers opened Super Bowl LVII as a pick’em, but too soon money backed the City of Brotherly Love Eagles. The peak spread hovered betwixt -2 and -2.5 on Monday at various sportsbooks inward Las Vegas, offshore, and on online apps.
On Tues morning, the Eagles were noneffervescent the favorite, but oddsmakers crossways the get on adjusted the gunpoint paste to -1.5
Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for Feb. 12. The stream injuries on the Chiefs hold non been a major factor in demarcation movement. All three astray receivers hold nearly 2 weeks to recuperate. The injuries could go a factor out later next hebdomad if any of them, in particular Smith-Schuster, are relieve non practicing with the Chiefs.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (Knee)
Smith-Schuster signed a one-year get with the Chiefs in the offseason after they traded Tyreek J. J. Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
In his first season with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster emerged as the top out broad receiver of the roster. He led all wideouts with 78 receptions and 933 yards. He also added ternion touchdowns.
In the AFC Championship, Smith-Schuster caught only if one passing game for VII yards before he left the game inward the third quarter with a human knee injury.
During a mechanical press group discussion on Monday, caput coach Andy Thomas Reid did non expound on the status of Smith-Schuster, or the hardness of his knee joint injury. However, the NFL Network reported that he struggled to walking upward the stairs to move into the Chiefs locker room.
Kadarius Toney (Ankle)
The Chiefs acquired Toney in a mid-season patronage with the New House of York Giants. In heptad steady games with the Chiefs this season, Toney emerged as a deep-threat weapon. He caught 14 passes for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In his world-class postseason gritty with the Chiefs against the Jaguars, he contributed Phoebe catches for 36 yards and zero touchdowns. He also added 14 rushing yards.
In the AFC Championship against the Bengals, Toney caught single overhaul for IX yards before he exited the spunky with an ankle joint injury in the foremost quarter. He nearly caught a sensory touchdown liberty chit from Mahomes, but the glob bang the strand inwards the remainder zona and officials ruled it an incompletion.
KC challenges the claim of incompletion past Kadarius Toney#Bengals 0 #Chiefs 0 1sᴛ pic.twitter.com/0F34d7dSR3
— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) January 29, 2023
Mecole Hardman (Pelvis)
The Chiefs selected Hardman with a second-round cull come out of Georgia, where he was a boot homecoming specialist. Scouts loved his speed, and he made a splashing during his rookie season with a career-high sextet touchdowns on only 26 receptions.
Hardman appeared in VIII games during the fixture harden before an belly and pelvis hurt sidelined him in the arcsecond half of the season. The AFC Championship was his only if action inwards the postseason.
Hardman went knock down in the 3rd billet against the Bengals after he provoked his hip hurt on a reception. Before he exited the game, Hardman caught II passes for 10 yards, and rushed twice for heptad yards.
Next Isle of Man Up: MVS, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore
In his first of all harden with the Chiefs, Marquez Valdes-Scantling contributed 42 receptions, 687 receiving yards, and deuce touchdowns.
When Smith-Schuster went down pat(p) in the AFC Championship, Valdes-Scantling stepped upwardly and finished the mettlesome as the team’s most productive wide reciever. He caught vi passes against the Bengals, and led the Chiefs with 116 receiving yards and unity touchdown.
Justin John Broadus Watson missed the AFC Championship with a non-COVID illness. Watson, an Ivy Leaguer who played his college globe at Penn, caught 15 passes during the habitue harden for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns inward special action. In the AFC Divisional Round, Watson caught one passport for 12 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rookie Skyy G. E. Moore was a second-round pickaxe out of horse opera Michigan. The speedy G. E. Moore struggled with fumbles as the team’s kicking returner before in the season.
During 16 games inwards the habitue season, Dudley Moore tallied 22 receptions on 33 targets for 250 yards. He has yet to rack up a touchdown for the Chiefs. In 2 postseason games, Henry Spencer Moore caught quaternity passes for 13 yards and no touchdowns.