John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are hours away from their Wild Card Weekend clash with the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, the Chiefs may be without the services of a key player.
We know for sure that rookie right tackle Eric Fisher will not play. Tamba Hali on the other-hand is questionable. Here’s the latest from Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star:
Eric Fisher is listed as out for the #Chiefs’ playoff fame against Indy. Tamba Hali is listed as questionable.
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) January 3, 2014
He goes on to explain the latest on the Chiefs’ star outside linebacker in his column:
"Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the swelling in Hali’s knee needs to go down for him to play. Reid also indicated that Hali knows the scheme and is capable of playing without the practice, provided he feels healthy enough to due so and it wouldn’t cause any long-term damage."
Even though he’s questionable, I would expect Hali to play. This game is huge for Kansas City, obviously, and the Chiefs will need to bring the pressure to rattle a pretty poised quarterback in Andrew Luck. Also, remember that Justin Houston was listed as probable for the game, so one can only imagine that Hali will want to be out there in order to provide Houston with rush support off the opposite side. We saw this year just how well the two worked together on the edges.
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Marc Sessler of NFL.com reports that Branden Albert should be back at left tackle, so Donald Stephenson will likely fill in for Fisher on the right.
For the Colts, defensive tackles Fili Moala and Aubrayo Franklin are both questionable.