Kansas City Chiefs starting CB L’Jarius Sneed suffered a concussion during the opening defensive snaps of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team managed to win the game without him on the field, but they’re hopeful that he can return to play for Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sneed went through stretches and warm-ups during the portion of Thursday’s practice open to members of the media. Find photographic evidence from the KC Star’s Jesse Newell down below:
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney were off to the side at practice today. L’Jarius Sneed went through stretches. pic.twitter.com/Q38wPXTrWu
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) February 2, 2023
This suggests that Sneed is progressing through the league’s concussion protocol, strengthening his chances to play in the Super Bowl. What does Sneed need to accomplish in order to be cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol and play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12?
There are five steps that he’ll need to go through as part of the NFL’s return-to-participation protocols. The goal of all of these five phases is to ensure that Sneed’s neurocognitive state returns to baseline functionality, at which point he could return to play. After he goes through these five steps, an INC (Independent Neurotrauma Consultant) will also have to clear him for play.
Remember, the NFL’s return-to-participation protocol lede states that every concussion is unique. That means there is no set timetable for Sneed’s return. He’ll progress through the league’s protocols at the pace necessary.
Let’s take a look at each of the five phases and what they entail for Sneed as the team gets ready for the Super Bowl:
Phase 1: Symptom Limited Activity
Sneed will have been prescribed a heavy dose of rest since the concussion took place. The key in this phase is avoiding any activities (physical or cognitive) that could lead to a return of concussion symptoms. Sneed is permitted to do stretching, balance work and very light aerobic exercises at the discretion of the club’s medical and training staff. Given what we’ve seen from Sneed at practice on Thursday, he’s likely in this phase of the protocol at a minimum. If he doesn’t see any new or increasing concussion symptoms with this type of work he’ll be able to graduate to the next phase.
Phase 2: Aerobic Exercise
The second phase includes the introduction of a “graduated cardiovascular exercise program.” Sneed will be permitted to continue balance training and dynamic stretching, but they can also add things like running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. However, that will only occur under the supervision of the team training staff. The idea is to gradually increase the duration and amount of work for a player during this specific phase. If Sneed doesn’t develop any new or worsening concussion symptoms, he’ll be permitted to advance to the next phase.
Phase 3: Football Specific Exercise
This is the phase where the team can begin to introduce some football-specific training exercises to Sneed’s regiment. He’ll now be allowed to partake in supervised strength training and football-specific exercises with the team in 30-minute intervals or less. During this phase, Sneed could be considered a limited participant in practice. He’ll be monitored for any new or worsening concussion symptoms and undergo neurocognitive testing to determine if there are any residual effects of the concussion. If there is any residual cognitive impairment due to the concussion, tests will be repeated in the next 48 hours. If he clears the test initially and has no new or worsening symptoms, Sneed will again advance to the next phase of the protocol.
Phase 4: Club-Based Non-Contact Training Drills
Sneed can get back to all non-contact football work in this phase. He can begin back-pedaling, catching and doing other CB-specific activities during practice. On walkthrough or lighter 10-10-10 practice sessions, players can be listed as full participants in practice during this phase. Sneed will undergo more neurocognitive testing administered in this phase to determine that he has returned to baseline. If he’s able to get through this phase without any new or worsening symptoms, he’ll advance to the final phase of the NFL’s return-to-participation protocols.
Phase 5: Full Football Activity/Clearance
If Sneed is able to get through team meetings, conditioning and non-contact practice without recurring symptoms and his neurocognitive testing returns to baseline, he’ll be able to be cleared in full by the team’s training and medical staff for full contact practice. As we mentioned earlier, he’ll also have to be cleared by an independent neurotrauma consultant in this specific phase. Should the Chiefs’ staff and the INC determine that Sneed’s concussion has been resolved, he would be permitted to play against the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
