Mike Pennel will be back with Kansas City Chiefs on Monday

The Chiefs only have one more game to play before they can bring Mike Pennel back.

“Only one more game.” That has to be the thought process for defensive tackle Mike Pennel as he considers his return to the field for the first time in 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pennel was forced to sit out for the first two games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Along with Bashaud Breeland, the Chiefs are missing two key players from their Super Bowl winning defense to suspensions. Breeland can return after four games.

Without Pennel in the line-up, the Chiefs have been forced to play some younger players earlier than expected or hoped, but the team has been surprised by the results. Tershawn Wharton has been an incredible story for the Chiefs as a small-school prospect from Missouri S&T who not only made the roster but looked solid in a dozen-plus snaps in Week 1—without any preseason. Michael Danna, the team’s fifth round pick, also looked great along the defensive line.

Still, it’s not as if the Chiefs don’t miss Pennel. As one of the team’s best run-stuffers, Pennel is going to be a major addition immediately before playing the likes of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens and Cam Newton and the New England Patriots in back to back weeks.

It also hurts the situation that the Chiefs have lost defensive tackle Khalen Saunders for the next few games due to an elbow injury. Saunders was forced to leave in Week 1 against the Houston Texans and was placed on injured reserve by the Chiefs on Saturday.

Pennel, who is now 29, first signed with the Chiefs midway through the 2019 season and helped them turn around their fortunes on defense immediately. From there, the Chiefs decided to re-sign him to another one-year deal this offseason in their hopes to “run it back” and defend their first Super Bowl title in 50 seasons. He had 24 total tackles and 1 sack for the Chiefs in 8 games in 2019.