Kansas City Chiefs star offensive lineman Joe Thuney will not play in the AFC Championship Game due to a pectoral injury, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Thuney suffered the injury during the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills last weekend. He did not practice at all this week.
This will mark just the third game Thuney has missed since joining Kansas City in 2021.
It’s also a massive blow for the Chiefs, as Thuney is one of the league’s best and earned Pro Bowl selections in back-to-back seasons. He also notched First-Team All-Pro honors this year.
The 31-year-old, who played his collegiate football at North Carolina State, was originally selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He spent his first five seasons with the Patriots and started every game. While he never made a Pro Bowl in New England, he established himself as one of the most consistent offensive linemen in football. Most importantly, he helped the Pats win a pair of Super Bowl championships.
Following his tenure with the Patriots, Thuney signed a lucrative five-year, $80 million contract with the Chiefs in March 2021.
Thuney’s absence could very well swing the tide in Sunday’s matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens, as the Ravens led the league with 60 sacks this season. They were also the sixth-ranked defense overall and finished No. 1 in points allowed.
Kansas City is aiming to advance to its fourth Super Bowl in the last five years. It has already won a couple of championships in that span, but it has yet to play an AFC Championship Game on the road in the Patrick Mahomes era.
The Chiefs will get their first taste of what that feels like this weekend, and they will have to do it without one of their top offensive players.
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