The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for their Week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers and as is customary their first injury report of the week was released on Wednesday. This week’s report to date is the shortest the Kansas City Chiefs have had this season, coming off eight an extended break following their Black Friday game against the Raiders. The Chiefs will host another division rival the Chargers during Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. EDT at Arrowhead.
On the initial report, the Chiefs only have three players listed, which reflects the team’s best health so far this season, as they prepare for another pivotal AFC West matchup. Will the healthy roster lead to a solid on-field result?
Inside Look: Kansas City Chiefs Week 14 Injury Report
The Chiefs’ Week 14 injury report includes Tight End Noah Gray (shoulder), Defensive End Charles Omenihu (knee), and Offensive Tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee). All three players dealing with minor injuries but were full participants in practice on Wednesday. On Thursday’s report, the only change was Taylor’s participation which went from full to limited. That is a standard move from the Kansas City Chiefs when they move from their non-padded outdoor practices on Wednesday to indoor padded practice on Thursday when someone is nursing a lingering injury.
Noah Gray is managing a shoulder injury, and Omenihu some knee soreness. However, despite their respective statuses, all signs point to all three players being available for Sunday night as long as there are no additional unforeseen setbacks.
Chiefs Kicker Update
Before the Chiefs released their injury report for this week on Monday, Head Coach Andy Reid announced to the media that rookie Kicker Spencer Shrader would be placed on IR due to his hamstring injury, leaving a vacancy on the active roster.
In response, Kansas City signed Kicker Matthew Wright to their official 53-man roster. In other news, Harrison Butker remains sidelined but is on track to return in a few weeks, which means the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 1 kicker for the time being will be Wright.
Chiefs Benefit From Extra Rest
The Kansas City Chiefs, along with many teams this season, have had to endure the injury bug festering through their locker rooms. Through much of this season, the Chiefs have had several players at least on their report from week to week, however this week the Chiefs were able to receive an extended break between games. With eight days separating their last contest which came against the Raiders on Black Friday until their Sunday Night matchup against the Chargers the additional rest gave guys a chance to recoup. It also prevented anyone new from being added to their report heading into this week.
The Chargers, another division rival for the Chiefs, always present a challenge for Kansas City. This means having their healthiest lineup available will be vital. Moving forward this team’s ability to stay healthy could determine whether they can secure the No. 1 seed and receive the bye, or have to play on Super Wildcard Weekend.
Final Thoughts
The Kansas City Chiefs enter Week 14 with an injury report that has only a few players on it, which is great news for the Chiefs as they head into a pivotal game this weekend. Having three players on the report points to Kansas City fielding a nearly complete roster Sunday night. Kansas City’s focus now shifts to maintaining this level of health for as long as they can. Especially as they are still in a tight battle with the No. 1 seed between them and the Bills as the regular season winds down.
