KC Chiefs AFC Championship Injuries: Good and Bad News for Thursday's Practice

Kansas City has several injury situations developing as the week of practice continues to unfold.

The Kansas City Chiefs are three days away from taking the field at M&T Bank Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens, meaning the AFC Championship Game is quickly approaching.

As Andy Reid's team continues its week of practice, multiple players are dealing with injuries. Right guard Trey Smith, who missed Wednesday's practice with an illness, is back to work on Thursday and will be joined by some others.

With that said, Reid did reveal that several Chiefs won't be practicing on Thursday afternoon. Let's dive into his injury updates as the week rolls on. 

Joe Thuney to miss another practice with pec strain, Isiah Pacheco absent with toe injury

This shouldn't be a major surprise, but starting left guard Joe Thuney isn't expected to practice on Thursday as he continues to nurse a pectoral strain. Monday's MRI revealed essentially the best-case scenario, but Thuney still faces an uphill battle if he is to play on Sunday. The All-Pro interior offensive lineman hasn't missed a start for Kansas City this season, although the club is confident in backup Nick Allegretti to step into the lineup if needed. 

For the second day in a row, running back Isiah Pacheco won't practice for the Chiefs. Reid said the sophomore man did participate in the team's walkthrough, however. This is more of a rest situation than anything else, as Pacheco indicated on Wednesday that he plans to play this weekend. Given that he's already missed a few games this season due to injury, that seems like a wise approach for both player and team. 

Mike Edwards returning to practice, Willie Gay Jr. update

The biggest positive news for Kansas City is that safety Mike Edwards is expected to return to practice on Thursday. The offseason free agent pickup suffered a concussion in Sunday's Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills and remains in return-to-play protocol. While it's unclear whether Edwards will clear protocol in time to play this weekend, he appears to be progressing well. Reid said the Chiefs will exercise caution with his practice plan. 

"Yeah, Mike will be out there," Reid said. "Just precautionary — ease him back in and see how he's doing." 

In the open media look portion of Wednesday's practice, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. initially wasn't spotted. He did end up practicing, though, albeit in a limited capacity. Reid said his veteran linebacker is battling some neck stiffness and suffered a setback in the team's last playoff game. Gay is trending in a solid direction for Sunday but if he can't play, Reid is satisfied with Drue Tranquill's ability to offset some of the production lost. 

"Willie, he's a big part of our defense," Reid said. "However, I wouldn't slight Drue for the job he did coming in. Willie's a good player. He's a part of the success that we've had." 

Skyy Moore, Derrick Nnadi held out again

There were no changes for the Chiefs regarding wide receiver Skyy Moore and nose tackle Derrick Nnadi. Moore was recently designated to return off the injured reserve list but tweaked his knee injury and remains out of practice. He's still on IR until further notice. 

Elsewhere, Nnadi is nursing a tricep injury. Over the weekend, he posted a picture of his left arm bandaged and braced. As expected, he'll miss another practice. Mike Pennel is the favorite to assume a large chunk of his snaps once again in the conference title game.

Update: The Chiefs' official Thursday injury report lists Edwards and Gay as limited participants in practice. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (hip) was also limited after being a full participant on Wednesday. 

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