Late in the week, the Kansas City Chiefs made the call to rule out left guard Joe Thuney for their AFC Championship Game outing against the Baltimore Ravens. With the All-Pro interior offensive lineman battling a pectoral injury, he couldn't practice at all during the week.
Should Kansas City advance to the Super Bowl, could Thuney make his return to the field? A Sunday morning report doesn't provide too optimistic of an outlook.
On NFL Network's NFL GameDay Live program, Ian Rapoport gave a quick update on Thuney's injury. Originally described as a pec strain, Rapoport revealed that this post-MRI diagnosis isn't universally agreed upon. Not only that, but Thuney would face an uphill battle to play in the Super Bowl and could even require surgery.
"He has already been ruled out of this game and my understanding is, he is a long shot to play in the Super Bowl if they get there," Rapoport said. "Originally reported by me as a pec strain, he actually got differing medical opinions. Some believe it's a strain, some believe [it's] a tear. Surgery, Rich, still on the table for Thuney."
This is obviously concerning news for the Chiefs, as they'd benefit from a fully healthy offensive line if they got to the biggest game of the year. While backup Nick Allegretti is more than capable of stepping in and doing a solid job, Thuney is widely regarded as one of the better linemen in the league. The decline in performance, albeit not devastating, certainly could impact a game in the trenches. Thuney's status will be worth monitoring in the next couple of weeks and into the offseason.
Sunday's conference title game marks the first start Thuney has missed for Andy Reid's team all year. He played 100% of available snaps from Weeks 1-17 and then had a 25-snap game in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers. After playing every snap on Wild Card Weekend, he exited the Divisional Round in the second half following his injury. Thuney, a back-to-back Pro Bowler, has cap hits of just under $27 million in each of the next two seasons.
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