Getty Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Friday, February 3, Sneed was then listed as questionable for Kansas City’s estimated game designation a little over a week ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
During opening night of the Super Bowl, Sneed shared that he has cleared concussion protocol, according to Matt Verderame of FanSided.
Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed says he has cleared concussion protocol
Sneed, 26, is one of the most well-rounded cornerbacks in the NFL let alone in Kansas City’s secondary. So, having him as a full-go for the Super Bowl is massive for the Chiefs, who will need to cover Philadelphia Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in that game.
This season, Sneed has recorded 87 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 interceptions, and has allowed an 88.9 passer rating when thrown at, per PFF. He earned a 78.4 defensive grade from PFF, which ranked 10th overall among all cornerbacks.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo reacted during opening night to having Sneed available for the Super Bowl.
“When we didn’t have him last week, it was a huge concern. The young guys stepped up, but L’Jarius is really important to us,” Spags told NFL Media. “He’s our leader back there. He makes plays for us. Played a lot of different positions, and I’m glad he’s cleared and ready to go.”
Twitter Reacts to Sneed Clearing Protocol
Twitter users reacted to L’Jarius Sneed passing concussion protocol.
“Lettttsssss Fing GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Now tell me JuJu and Toney are for sure playing please! SERIOUSLY how did the Chiefs win with Mahomes throwing to MVS, Marcus Kemp, and Watson his 4th 5th and 6th WRs and Kelce!? It’s more insane the more i think about it,” one Twitter user wrote.
“With two stud receivers in Devonta Smith and AJ Brown, the Chiefs absolutely needed Sneed back,” another user wrote.
“Hopefully he has learned not to tackle leading with his head straight into a guys legs which is what happened last time…” another user wrote.
@MattVerderame Hopefully he has learned not to tackle leading with his head straight into a guys legs which is what happened last time…
Mecole Hardman Out for SBLVII
One of the discouraging injury updates from the Chiefs ahead of the Super Bowl was the team placing receiver Mecole Hardman (pelvis) on injured reserve on February 6.
#Chiefs activated RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire from IR and placed WR Mecole Hardman on IR. Hardman is out for the Super Bowl.
Hardman had struggled to consistently hit the practice field since his 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve was opened on December 14.
After suffering a setback at practice on Wednesday, December 28, Hardman missed practice on Thursday and Friday. After Friday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid ruled out Hardman for Kansas City’s Week 17 outing against the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs did activate Hardman from injured reserve ahead of the January 4 deadline. However, despite being activated, he still struggled to hit the practice field and missed Kansas City’s Divisional Round win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hardman was active for the AFC Championship Game but was re-injured during the game, which led to his IR designation on Monday.
Although receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle) were also injured during the AFC Championship, they are trending toward playing in the Super Bowl.
During the regular season, Hardman recorded 25 receptions on 34 targets for 297 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He also registered 4 rushes for 31 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Twitter users also reacted to Hardman’s season coming to an end prior to the Super Bowl.
“Damn! Mecole is such an integral part of the receiving group. Recover and come back better than ever Mecole!!!” another user wrote.
“Man, that really sucks for Mecole. Hope we haven’t seen the last of him in a Chiefs uniform,” another user wrote.
“May be the last time we see him as a Chief, that’s too bad. I always liked Hardman,” another user wrote.
@Chiefs May be the last time we see him as a Chief, that’s too bad. I always liked Hardman.