Chiefs have Pro Bowl S Tyrann Mathieu for AFC title game vs Bengals

January 30, 2022:

Tyrann Mathieu cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and the Chiefs removed his injury designation about three hours before kickoff, clearing the way for the Pro Bowl safety to play against the Bengals on Sunday in the AFC championship game.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Mathieu lasted only seven plays in the divisional round against Buffalo last weekend before taking a knee to the helmet from teammate Jarran Reed while tracking down Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the first quarter. Mathieu was examined briefly in the sideline tent, then headed to the locker room and did not return to the field.

The Chiefs had been optimistic all week Mathieu would play, though. He practiced fully each day, and the only hurdle left was to pass the league’s rigorous testing protocol to play in Kansas City’s fourth straight conference title game.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. “He moved around well.”

The Chiefs also have one of their best defensive backs, Rashad Fenton, who missed their first two playoff games with a back injury. He practiced fully all week and did not appear on the final injury report.

Fenton was third on the team with seven tackles, and Mathieu had six, when Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase torched the Kansas City defense in a 34-31 victory earlier this month.

Burrow threw for 446 yards and four touchdowns while Chase caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three of the TDs.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 14: Tyrann Mathieu #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up prior to a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

“Listen, we need all of our guys,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “It took us by surprise, obviously, when Tyrann got hurt early (last week). We did have a package we were going to do something a little different. Had to throw the thing completely out that we had especially for Buffalo. So, that set us back a little bit, but then it’s like we’ve always said, somebody’s got to step up and the guys did that.”

Both teams were relatively healthy with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

Bengals defensive linemen Cam Sample (groin) and Josh Tupou (knee) and wide receiver Stanley Morgan (hamstring), were inactive after they were listed as day to day on the final injury report. They were joined by cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, wide receiver Trenton Irwin, running back Trayveon Williams and offensive lineman Fred Johnson.

Defensive linemen Damion Square and Zach Kerr were active after both were added in the last 10 days.

Inactive for the Chiefs were cornerback DeAndre Baker, quarterback Shane Buechele, running back Derrick Gore, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Running back Darrel Williams, limited in practice, was back after missing last week’s game with a toe injury.

“We’re limiting him ourselves, not him limiting himself,” Reid said. “We just don’t want his toe to flare up. It’s been great so far, so we want to keep it that way.”

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe