The Kansas City Chiefs released their last injury report of the week on Friday, setting the scene for Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers. Ahead of the game, Kansas City knows it will be without left guard Joe Thuney and offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho.
Thuney is a notable loss, as the All-Pro guard is one of the best interior linemen in football. While Nick Allegretti is a capable fill-in option, teams always want to be at full strength in the postseason. Facing one of the best defensive fronts in football, the Chiefs are tasked with trying to get by without Thuney for the last outing of the season.
Speaking of trying to get by, that's what Thuney was looking to do this week. The stars didn't end up aligning for that, however, and it turns out that those chances were indeed never too real. Speaking from Super Bowl Radio Row on Friday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network indicated that there's some uncertainty surrounding the severity Thuney's injury and he wasn't realistically going to suit up on Sunday.
"Yeah, my understanding is Joe Thuney really was not close to being on the field," Rapoport said. "He has what was originally described as a pectoral strain. My understanding, though, is that he's had multiple medical opinions and it is inconclusive whether or not he has a strain or a tear. Certainly, surgery is something that is possible for Joe Thuney. This is one of the toughest dudes in the NFL; you know, Andrew (Siciliano), that if he could possibly be on the field, he absolutely would."
Rapoport, much like head coach Andy Reid reiterated all week, said it wasn't much of a pain tolerance issue.
"Really, the issue here is not just can he deal with the pain — it's just functional," Rapoport said. "Could he actually hold off a blitzing linebacker or a stout defensive lineman with an arm and a shoulder that is just not functioning properly? Did not really get the sense that he got close to being on the field and doing that."
On Tuesday, Reid mentioned the functionality and strength components as things Kansas City was factoring into its decision. Additionally, he admitted that it'd be a "long shot" for Thuney to recover in time to play. With the 31-year-old missing practice all week, that sealed his fate before giving him a shot to line up across from San Francisco's defensive line.
After the Super Bowl, the priority for Thuney will be getting to the bottom of this injury. If it requires surgery, he could face a significant rehab process during the offseason. Considering his Pro Bowl level of play and an upcoming cap hit of just under $27 million for the 2024-25 campaign, the Chiefs will push for whichever option ensures he's back on the field at full strength moving forward. Unfortunately for both sides, that won't be happening by the time Super Bowl LVIII rolls around. Despite Thuney's well-documented toughness, this simply isn't an injury to play through.
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