KC Chiefs, Buccaneers players are cleared in latest COVID-19 testing

After a COVID-19 scare at the start of Super Bowl week, members of the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been cleared in the NFL’s latest round of testing, per reporter Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport’s post is a good sign that the Chiefs might be able to put further scares behind them, even as they will remain obviously vigilant in terms of present COVID-19 protocols for the rest of the week. The Chiefs are slated to travel to Tampa on Saturday in preparation for Super Bowl LV, their second consecutive appearance in the NFL’s biggest game.

For now, the Chiefs are still dealing with two active players on the league’s COVID-19/reserve list. On Monday, the team placed backup center Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on the list after coming into contact with a barber hired by the team to come into Arrowhead Stadium from the outside during the current lockdown placed upon players. It is important to note that neither players has tested positive; rather, they were deemed to be in close contact with someone who did test positive.

Robinson is the most important player affected by COVID-19 this week. He’s a moderately targeted wideout in a loaded Chiefs offense. If the Bucs are able to stymie Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce with their defensive game plan, Robinson can become a valuable weapon as an athletic target who will likely find himself in favorable matchups or even wide open at times. As for Kilgore, he started at center for the Chiefs during a midseason trial during which the team benched Austin Reiter, who is now back in the starting center spot.

The Chiefs and Bucs are slated to kick off at 5:30 p.m. C.T. on Sunday.