Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna will miss Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts.
It’s finally a game weekend again after the long break from Kansas City Chiefs football following the Thursday night victory in Week 2.
In Week 3, KC will head to Indianapolis to face off against the 0-1-1 Colts, who have underperformed to start the season. The extra time off has allowed most Chiefs players to put aside any nagging injuries but there were a couple who showed up on the final Friday report despite the schedule.
The Colts are in a similar boat and will be without at least one key piece on Sunday.
Chiefs Week 3 Injuries Include Mike Danna & Harrison Butker
Two Chiefs contributors have officially been labeled “out” for Week 3, defensive end Mike Danna and kicker Harrison Butker. Neither is much of a surprise considering they have not practiced all week.
Danna is out with a calf injury while Butker has been dealing with an ankle issue that head coach Andy Reid did not want to call a high ankle sprain earlier this week. “It’s still swollen a bit,” the Chiefs HC said of his kicker’s ankle, “but [Butker’s] making progress. He’s working on his swings now, but it was a pretty good sprain. [It] swelled up on him, and getting all that out of there is going to take a minute… The kid, [Matt] Ammendola, he’s doing a great job.”
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub also commented on Butker’s status on Thursday. “The swelling was really bad in his ankle, it went all the way up [his leg],” he admitted, adding: “If he’s close [to healthy], he’s better than a lot of people, we’ll just leave it at that.”
Unfortunately, Butker must not have been close enough to play in Week 3, meaning Ammendola will get another shot after his perfect effort against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He won the competition by far,” Toub noted about Ammendola. “He was a better kick-off guy, he made all his field goals [except] one… We didn’t sign him just cause he’s a big guy, he’s got good talent.”
As for Danna, Coach Reid told reporters that Malik Herring will help fill the void in what is expected to be his NFL debut on Sunday. “We’ve had more [defensive ends] than we’ve needed,” voiced Big Red, “but we’ll let 94 [Herring] jump in there and get a couple reps too.”
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman (heel) — who was limited in practice on Thursday — was a full go on Friday and is expected to play against the Colts.
Colts Without Shaquille Leonard, Yannick Ngakoue’s Status Unclear
Indy had a couple of “out” designations on the injury report as well, and one is a big-name star. After a week of full practices, linebacker Shaquille Leonard will miss his third-straight game with a back injury — which is somewhat unexpected.
There has been no word on whether the three-time All-Pro suffered a setback or if he just needs more time before participating in live action, but this is a major absence for the Colts either way. The hard-hitter nicknamed the “Maniac” has logged over 120 tackles in every season since entering the league in 2018. Leonard was a turnover machine last year, forcing eight fumbles and four interceptions, and this defense isn’t the same without him.
Another integral playmaker on that side of the ball, edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, is also questionable for Week 3 with a back injury of his own. Based on the injury report, he looks like a true game-time decision against the Chiefs.
The final missing Colt is offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann (ankle), a 2022 third-round pick who has acted as a fill-in twice already this season. He’s not a starter, but he is a quality depth player that Indianapolis will be without on Sunday.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (quad) and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (hip) are expected to suit up and play versus Kansas City.