Chiefs vs. Colts: Breaking down Kansas City’s injury report

Kansas City Chiefs injury report head into Week 3, with two starts out and several still dealing with injuries. Find out the latest and who’s playing.

The Kansas City Chiefs just came out with their final injury report for their week 3 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, and here’s the latest on all recently injured players and their status for this week and the future. I’ll also be providing the latest information on players who have been injured and are still expected to be out for some time.

Harrison Butker (Week 3 status: Out)

Out last week with an ankle injury, Matt Ammendola filled in admirably and didn’t miss a single kick the team asked him to make. Butker was still a non-participant in practice as of the Wednesday injury report. Andy Reid was non-committal in whether or not Butker would be making a return this week.

Reid said during his Wednesday press conference, “I’m not necessarily telling you it’s a high-ankle sprain. It’s an ankle sprain, but it’s a matter of getting the swelling out and letting the tendons there heal up a little bit. He’ll be all right.”

Depending on how severe of an ankle sprain it is Butker could wind up missing anywhere from 2-6 weeks. The injury was suffered in their week 2 game so it will already be 2 weeks as of this Sunday. The Chiefs are typically pretty quiet on the injury status of their players, so we’ll have to watch the injury reports closely and listen in on the press conferences to get an idea of when he may return. Until then Ammendola will be the Chiefs kicker with Justin Reid in reserve.

Trey Smith (Week 3 status: No designation)

Left Week 1 with an ankle injury and was limited in practice in Week 2. Smith ended up playing all of last Thursday and started Week 3 as a full participant in practice. There was a noticeable dip in Smith’s performance last Thursday. Hopefully, the extra rest will have done Smith some good going into this week’s game against the Colts.

Mike Danna (Week 3 status: Out)

Strained his calf last week and missed some time in the game. He did not participate in any practices this week and has already been declared out for the game along with Butker. Andy Reid was actually asked if 2021 fourth-round pick Joshua Kaindoh would be the next man up and Reid said no. George Karlaftis has taken the most snaps at defensive end this season, and Frank Clark has been 2nd. After Danna at No. 3 in snaps, it’s the veteran Carlos Dunlap, I’d expect Dunlap to get a few more snaps this week with Danna out.

Mecole Hardman (Week 3 status: No designation)

Hurt his ankle and was out for a portion of the game last week. Hardman was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was a full participant on Friday.

Justin Watson (Week 3 status: No designation)

Hurt his shoulder/chest area in Thursday’s game. He was listed as a full participant in all 3 practices this week and should be a full go for the game.

Trent McDuffie (Week 3 status: Out)

McDuffie is still on IR with a hamstring injury and will be out till at least Week 6. There have been no notable reports on his current status lately. However, shortly after he was placed on IR it was stated that the injury was significant enough that McDuffie may wind up missing an additional 2 games and be out till week 8. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for further reports. Temporary fill-in Jaylen Watson performed admirably in his stead against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lucas Niang (Week 3 status: Out)

Started the season on the PUP/Reserve list. Niang is required to miss four games before he can return to practice. When he returns to practice, the team will have a 21-day window to activate Niang from the PUP/Reserve list. There have been no major updates on his status, but the Chiefs would be happy to have him back in the lineup. Niang has shown to be a good run blocker and the Chiefs have shown more of a willingness to pound the rock so far this season.