It appears that the Kansas City Chiefs will be getting a surprise for their AFC Championship Game tilt with the Baltimore Ravens.
If you had looked at the practice week, you'd likely assume that Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr. had no shot at playing on Sunday. He started the week out with consecutive limited practices and was downgraded to a non-participant in practice on Friday due to a neck injury sustained the week prior. This led to a questionable game status designation heading into the AFC title game.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters that Gay Jr. had neck stiffness and spasms during the practice week. This injury was the same issue that caused Gay Jr. to leave the divisional playoff game against the Bills early.
Things have taken quite a turn for the better for the fourth-year linebacker and in short order, too. According to NFL Network's James Palmer, Gay Jr. is trending toward playing in the AFC title game against the Ravens, despite his neck injury.
Gay Jr. recently hinted that this could be his last season in Kansas City, so he has every motivation to play in this game and contribute knowing that it could be his last with the team. He is one of the team's top athletes at the linebacker position. He has recorded 58 total tackles, one sack, and one interception so far this season. He also has a reputation as an energy-giver, which is never a bad thing when you're playing in a big game.
As Palmer noted, Gay Jr. was involved in last week's game plan against Buffalo, playing the spy role against Bills QB Josh Allen. It's reasonable to expect that he could play the same role against Ravens QB Lamar Jackson this week, but maybe to a lesser extent given his distinct lack of practice time.
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