The Kansas City Chiefs recently welcomed wide receiver Rashee Rice back to the roster after he served his six-game suspension, giving quarterback Patrick Mahomes a reunited receiving corps. But he won’t be heading into the Commanders matchup with his offense fully intact.
The team’s final injury report lists 10 players in total, though only one of them has officially been ruled out: left tackle Josh Simmons. It’s labelled as ‘personal’ yet again. This means that this’ll be the third straight game that he’ll be missing.
Simmons was pretty reliable through the first part of the season and hadn’t missed a single game until the Chiefs suddenly listed him as questionable for the game against the Detroit Lions. That same day, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that LT had flown to California to deal with a ‘family matter.’
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Since then, Simmons has missed practice, and the team has been rather quiet about his situation. Head coach Andy Reid did comment on it on Thursday, but in a rather ambiguous manner.“There’s communication,” he said. “I’m not going to get into all of it. Everything’s positive; it’s not a negative situation. He’s taking care of family.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Another situation worth watching closely is guard Trey Smith. He’s been sidelined all week and also missed most of last Sunday’s game against the Raiders due to a back issue. If he can’t go suit up on Monday, Mike Caliendo will probably be a shoe-in at right guard.
It’s possible the Chiefs are playing it safe with him. They face the Bills in Week 9, just six days after the Commanders game. And then a Week 10 bye.
There were a few other names on the injury list that made fans nervous at first glance. WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder/ankle) and tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee/shoulder) are both listed on the report. But since both practiced all three days, they’re expected to suit up.
Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports
Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports
Some more good news for Andy Reid: running back Kareem Hunt (ankle/knee) was upgraded to full participation on Saturday after being limited on Friday, meaning he’ll be active Monday. Same goes for cornerback Jaylen Watson (back), who practiced fully on both Thursday and Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Commanders, on the other hand, have their own set of headaches heading into this matchup.
Commanders’ injury update is bittersweet
Let’s start off with the good news first. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that wideouts Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel will both return after getting through a full week of practice for the first time since their injuries. That’s a huge lift for Washington’s offense.
“They add a lot. I think in different ways. So much of their games are similar but different. On some of the deep plays with Terry on play passes and over routes, and things that are shots down the field. Deebo has some catch and run as well to it,” Dan Quinn said about his returning wide receivers.
Unfortunately, as often happens with the Commanders, just when they get healthier in one spot, another problem pops up. With Jayden Daniels sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Marcus Mariota will make the start.
Adding to the uncertainty, kicker Matt Gay appeared on the injury report for the first time Saturday with a back issue and is listed as questionable. Gay is 10 of 14 on field-goal attempts this season and 18 of 18 on PATS.
Chiefs vs Commanders Injury Report: 4 Key Concerns for Mahomes’ Offense, Latest on Jayden Daniels
