Super Bowl LVII is rapidly approaching as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Pleasantries were exchanged on Monday night in Phoenix as both teams spoke to media during Opening Night. The two franchises are beginning to settle in now, with practices well underway as the championship game nears.
On Tuesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters prior to practice. He revealed the team were in good stead and had no injuries to report to start the week, confirming each member of the team participated in padded practice on Monday before the lighter session after the media session.
“I don’t have any injuries to update you on,” Reid said. “We’re doing well there. Everybody practiced yesterday. Look’s like we’ll do the same today.”
Reid - a Super Bowl LIV champion with the Chiefs in February 2021 - also confirmed cornerback L’Jarius Sneed had cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol. However, one question remained on the mind of the reporters present: how was Patrick Mahomes’ ankle?
“I wouldn’t tell you he’s 100 percent,” Reid added. “The training staff works with him endlessly. I guess it’s a tribute to both of them. Pat coming back for more and for those guys cranking on him. Julie [Frymyer] spent most of the time with him, rehabbing him.
“We’ve got all the latest and greatest stuff to use technology-wise. He’s used it all and he’s been able to make these jumps here where he can actually function and play in a game, which is pretty remarkable.”
The 64-year-old also confirmed receiving duo Kadarius Toney and JuJu Smith-Schuster are both improving ahead of the Super Bowl, with both men set to be ready and available come Sunday: “They practiced yesterday, they’ll go again today. They looked good. Then, we’ll just see how it goes the rest of the week.
“Today will be an easy day. Then we’ve got three days that are a little tougher. We’ll just see where they’re at. Yesterday we were able to put the pads on and get some work done there. The guys hadn’t had them on for a week.”
Meanwhile, the Eagles may also be injury-free so far but they are certainly full of confidence. Jalen Hurts spoke of his championship mentality, referencing the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as inspirational references to help best prepare him for his first Super Bowl appearance.
“Kobe, MJ… they talk about it all the time, you play in games like this it's about the details,” Hurts told reporters. “It’s about eliminating external factors and things that don’t matter to focus on what’s important, and I feel like all year that’s been my mentality going into every game.
“It comes down to your preparation.”
Sophomore wideout DeVonta Smith, who had a stellar year with 1,196 receiving yards to go with seven touchdowns, was a bit more blasé about the whole Super Bowl experience. While in college with Alabama, the 24-year-old won the Heisman Trophy in 2020 while claiming a pair of National Championships.
“I’ve been playing in games like this from little league, middle school, high school, college, so I feel like I’m built for games like this,” Smith said. “I’ve been playing in games like this all my life, so to me it really feels like just another game because I’ve been doing this.”
The Chiefs will face the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on February 12.
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