At this point in the season, it’s do or die for the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Andy Reid’s club is on the brink of the AFC playoff picture, and each passing day adds even more intrigue to the race.
Unfortunately, the reigning conference champions aren’t even close to full strength. Their push will have to come with players either missing or playing through the pain. That’s the case at various areas of the roster, but the offensive line is in particular rough shape.
With Week 15’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers on the horizon, Reid provided some context in that regard.
Andy Reid Drops Multiple Injury Updates Ahead of Week 15
Two specific players have all eyes on them as Sunday approaches. Right guard Trey Smith (ankle) and right tackle Jawaan Taylor (triceps) would be big-time boosts against a bitter AFC West rival.
Will either or both players gear up for a tough divisional game? Reid weighed in with his thoughts when he spoke to the media on Friday. Unfortunately for the team, Smith won’t go, and it’s logical to imply that the same appears true for Taylor.
“No, just no ready to go,” Reid said of Smith. “He worked through and pushed himself, but I just don’t think he’s quite there.”
Smith was a full participant in Wednesday’s lighter practice. He got downgraded to limited on Thursday, however, creating uncertainty surrounding his outlook. With him and Taylor not spotted during Friday’s brief media look at practice, that certainly didn’t help matters one bit. Reid confirmed they missed the entirety of the final practice of the week.
Smith, a sixth-round pick back in 2021, is nursing ankle sprains. The star guard has both high- and low-ankle sprains; having both at the same time isn’t too common. Despite being one of the toughest players on the Chiefs roster, the former Tennessee standout missed Thanksgiving Day’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys and last Sunday’s defeat to the Houston Texans. Week 12’s 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts marked Smith’s first action missed — he played a partial game before getting hurt.
Taylor, meanwhile, suffered his triceps ailment on Thanksgiving. He logged 32 snaps against Dallas, good for 48.5% of those available. After he didn’t practice leading up to Week 14’s game, Reid and the team designated him as doubtful for Sunday. Neither him nor Smith was active on game day, as expected.
Elsewhere, wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (personal) will miss Sunday’s game. He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Friday and was limited on Thursday. His absence can be viewed as a minor surprise.
Can Chiefs Take Down Chargers in Rematch of 2025 Season Opener?
It feels like forever ago that the Chiefs and Chargers squared off. In reality, it’s only been just over three months. Both squads remain feisty, but Los Angeles remains squarely in the thick of the playoff race. Kansas City finds itself on the outside looking in.
Estimates vary for the Chiefs’ postseason chances with Sunday on the horizon. FTN Fantasy has them at 13.2%, with probabilities from NFL (12%), ESPN (11%) and PlayoffStatus (5%) falling in line thereafter.
In Week 1’s bout, Kansas City was shocked by an early-game injury to wideout Xavier Worthy. The offense mustered just 21 points to Los Angeles’ 27, posting 6.0 yards per play to their 6.4. Lackluster third-down efficiency (5-of-14) and other mistakes held them back all night long.
This time around, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is aiming for everyone to fare better.
“There’s differences and there’s the same,” Mahomes said. “You get better as the season goes on. You learn about yourself, and they did a good job of the defensive line playing as a unit, getting to the quarterback, the linebackers fly around with speed. Obviously, Derwin [James Jr.] can play the secondary or in the box as well. They do a great job of playing complementary football together as a defense and then they have a great defensive coordinator (Jesse Minter). It’s a heck of a challenge for us, and we’re excited for it.”
Only Sunday will tell whether a shorthanded Chiefs squad can deliver.
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