The Kansas City Chiefs have been handed a big blow ahead of the AFC Championship Game clash against the Baltimore Ravens. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chiefs’ All-Pro guard Joe Thuney is dealing with a pectoral muscle injury and is unlikely to play on Sunday.
Thuney suffered the injury in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills and hasn’t practiced since. The 31-year-old player, however, isn’t losing hope he’ll manage to return in time to face the Ravens, with one source telling Schefter that Thuney “is going to work like crazy to play”.
Thuney played all 17 games in the regular season and had his best year as a pro. He had a pass block win rate of 99.1%, the best in the entire NFL, and committed only two penalties while earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
If Thuney isn’t able to play, the Chiefs will likely turn to backup guard Nick Allegretti. According to Kansas City’s head coach Andy Reid, Allegretti, who is in his fifth year in NFL, is already viewed as a starter-caliber player by the organization.
“All the guys look at him like he’s a starter, so everybody’s got confidence that he can come in and do a nice job,” Reid shared.
