Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney during pregame warmups in 2022.
It was a rough weekend for Chiefs Kingdom but as head coach Andy Reid stated today during his December 7 press conference, it’s “on to Denver.”
As the focus shifts to the AFC West rival Broncos, one of the key factors will be getting healthy and the Chiefs revealed some good news on that front on Wednesday. “Everyone’s going to practice today in some form or another,” Coach Reid told reporters to begin his opening remarks. “We’ll see how that goes.”
As media members confirmed on Twitter, that vague “everyone” includes all players that are not on the injured reserve — meaning wide receiver Kadarius Toney and guard Joe Thuney did practice.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney Takes Massive Step in Recovery
Later, the KC beat did provide some hard evidence on Toney, just in case fans were skeptical. Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney shared a video of Toney (No. 19) fielding punts this afternoon.
Extremely brief video of Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (No. 19) back to practice.
His hamstring does not appear to be ailing him during the footage, although it’s hard to tell from the light jog-through he’s performing.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher also posted a photo of Toney. In the picture, the explosive wideout looks to be dancing along to the practice music.
Your photographic proof that Kadarius Toney is back to practice today
When asked about Toney playing on Sunday, Reid was careful not to reveal too much. “We’ll see,” he replied to reporters, “let him get out there and work a little bit.” He did add that the Chiefs won’t rush him back to “have him hurt [his hamstring] again.”
Based on Reid’s statement and these visuals above, Toney’s return could come as soon as this weekend. As of now, let’s call it a tentative ‘on track’ to play — but the official injury report should give us a more accurate assessment of his status.
Thuney would also be a welcomed addition to the starting lineup after missing two weeks with an ankle injury.
Broncos’ Record Is Poor But Defense Is No Joke
It’s been a miserable year one in Denver for head coach Nathaniel Hackett but for Chiefs fans, it probably looks like more of the same. The Broncos have struggled to find a quarterback ever since Peyton Manning retired and the trade for Russell Wilson was supposed to end those problems.
It did not, and here we are again talking about a 3-9 Broncos team that has a top-ranked defense despite their offensive ineptitude.
Almost unfathomably, Denver has allowed the second-fewest points per game on average behind the San Francisco 49ers. That statistic is no fluke because, in yardage, they rank third!
When you consider that their defense is putting up these kinds of numbers with zero help from their offense in terms of field position and complementary football, that’s even more impressive. Big Red attributed this lack of quit to being “well-coached” and having “good players” this afternoon.
“We get rid of the record when we evaluate them,” Reid voiced. “Their defense is one of the top defenses in the NFL — red zone [defense] they’re top and then third-downs they’re top. They’re playing like crazy.”
The Chiefs HC also labeled the Broncos offense “one fingertip away from winning games.”
Kansas City’s wide receivers face the toughest matchup of all. Denver only averages 184.5 pass yards allowed per game as a defense, while they’re slightly more susceptible against the run. Getting Toney back would help counter defensive backs like Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons among others.
On the other side of the equation, the Chiefs have the best passing offense in football at 306.5 yards per game, so something has got to give as these two rivals go head-to-head in Week 14.