Ranking KC Chiefs biggest injury concerns heading into Super Bowl LVII
By Matt Conner
Let’s look at the biggest injury concerns for the Kansas City Chiefs as Super Bowl LVII creeps closer on the calendar.
Coming into the postseason, the Kansas City Chiefs would have held up their healthy roster as a prime example of the excellence of their training staff and medical personnel. While every team had major players shelved and lingering concerns, the Chiefs were not only about as healthy as a roster could be after 17 regular season games, but they had also earned a first-round bye—granting them more rest and care heading into the most important games of the year.
Fast forward just two games into the NFL postseason and the Chiefs find themselves with an extensive list of injury concerns. Unfortunately for K.C., these aren’t nitpicky injuries to role players or rarely-used backups. Instead, the Chiefs find themselves with questions from the top down, a list of ailments that affect the very best players who will suit up in Super Bowl LVII.
Given the number of injury concerns for the Chiefs, we thought we’d rank them all—which injury is the biggest for the Chiefs and what do we know about them a week before a chance to play for football’s biggest prize.
1. Patrick Mahomes
If you’re going to make a list of injury concerns, you have to start here with the single most talented player in the game today: Patrick Mahomes.
When Mahomes first rolled his ankle underneath Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Arden Key back in the Divisional Round, the audible gasp you heard came from more than just Chiefs Kingdom. It was the NFL wondering whether or not their global superstar would be able to press on any further in the face of adversity.
In some ways, the Chiefs have received a lot of good news here. Mahomes not only returned to the field in that Divisional Round win but he also led the Chiefs to victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. If the biggest injury concern is one that has already proven capable of pushing through, then the Chiefs might be okay, right?
But here’s the thing. Chiefs fans already saw how Mahomes had issues at key moments trying to throw off of that back foot or scramble while clearly in pain. The Eagles offer up a challenge on another level, with a front four unlike any other opponent on their schedule in 2022. Mahomes will have two weeks more to rest his ankle, but any list of concerns still begins here even as he’s already shown he can play through it.