The Chiefs advanced to Super Bowl LVII after Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.
But the victory produced a laundry list of multiple injured players: cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (concussion), wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (shoulder), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (ankle) and wide receiver Mecole Hardman (pelvis).
The Chiefs have a week in Kansas City before they travel to Arizona for another week of preparation before squaring off against the Philadelphia Eagles. So, the injured players have time to rehabilitate before Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 12.
Of the group, arguably the biggest concern is Sneed, who must clear the five-step concussion protocol before he can return to action.
The Chiefs are taking a wait-and-see approach with their starting cornerback.
“We’ll see how he does here today (Monday),” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said in a Zoom teleconference. “We’ll see where he’s at. I don’t want to make predictions either way.”
Sneed suffered the concussion in the first quarter of Sunday’s game after appearing to hit his helmet on the knee of a Bengals player. He was on the field receiving attention from the Chiefs’ medical staff before he got up and walked off the field under his own power straight to the blue medical tent for further evaluation. Sneed spent a few minutes in the tent before departing the field and going straight to the locker room.
The Chiefs eventually ruled out Sneed’s return to the game and had to undergo defensive adjustments.
“He was obviously going to cover No. 1 (Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase) most of the day, as he’s done the last few games, just the primary receiver,” Reid said.
With Sneed down, the Chiefs relied on rookie cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams to hold down Chase and the Bengals’ receivers.
Sneed has two weeks to pass the five-step concussion protocol: limited activity, aerobic exercise, football-specific exercises and non-contact drills before full football activities. The last event occurs after a player is medically cleared by a team doctor and an independent neurological consultant.
The best-case scenario involves Sneed, who finished the regular season with the second-most tackles (108) and tied for the lead in interceptions (3) on the Chiefs’ defense, being available for Super Bowl LVII. And this is especially important when knowing Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is up next.
Either way, the Chiefs will have a Plan B ready if Sneed isn’t cleared in time.
“If he can be back, he’ll be back,” Reid said. “If not, then he’s not. Then we have to go a different direction.”
The Chiefs return to practice Wednesday, which will officially mark the first day of Sneed Watch and the other injured players.
