Chiefs vs. Bills Inactives: Who's In, Who's Out?
After a win last week over the Philadelphia Eagles that got the Kansas City Chiefs back to .500, the team will look to improve to 3-2 with a victory against the visiting Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs will be getting a much-needed boost of a few healthy players returning, but are also missing others.
Heading into the game, all eyes were on defensive lineman Chris Jones, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Jones played last week with a wrist injury but did not practice this week, so there were serious questions about his likelihood to play in Sunday's game. He didn't show the team enough leading up to the game, though, and will not be active. Ward strained his quad a few weeks ago and missed two games as a result, practiced in both limited and full capacities throughout the week but will also miss Week 5's action.
Gay was activated from the injured reserve list on Saturday, although his playing status was murky. Not only is he coming off a toe injury, but he recently spoke out about his mental health. Luckily for the Chiefs, he's good to go. That's a massive plus for the team's linebacking corps.
A couple of additional notable returners for the Chiefs are cornerback Rashad Fenton and defensive end Frank Clark. Fenton, who suffered a concussion in a September game against the Chargers, is being added back into the fold and should help improve a secondary that has struggled with communication across the board this season. Clark, who has dealt with injuries to both hamstrings this year, fully participated in practice this week and could add some pass-rush juice to the Chiefs' defensive line.
The Bills also released their inactives list ahead of tonight's matchup.
By far the biggest development here is the absence of linebacker Matt Milano, who has cemented his status as a productive player for Buffalo in the recent past. He's struggled to stay healthy, and that theme has continued into the 2021 campaign. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will be tasked with slowing the Chiefs' offense down without one of his best players on the field.
