Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster warms up for a game in January of 2023.
You probably remember the hit that knocked Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster out of the Week 10 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although it was not penalized at the time, tackler Andre Cisco was later fined by the NFL as Smith-Schuster left the game with a concussion.
#Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster knocked out of the game due to a scary hit by a #Jaguars defender. Hope he’s okay. #ChiefsKingdom
Today on January 19, Smith-Schuster addressed the Cisco situation for the first time since his injury, and he was very forgiving of any potential beef with the Jaguars safety. “I just play ball at the end of the day,” the Chiefs wideout responded, “I don’t think about the past. I think Cisco’s a great player — he’s an aggressive guy, he plays hard, he has his big hits, and that just goes to say that I just got to play harder [in the future].”
Later, Smith-Schuster even confirmed that Cisco reached out to him after their collision. “He slid in my DMs [direct messages],” the charismatic WR joked with a smile. “He apologized and it’s all good, I said I appreciated it.” Smith-Schuster added that he knows Cisco’s game and knows that there wasn’t anything malicious about the hit, reiterating: “He plays hard, he’s a good player.”
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster Not Taking Jaguars Lightly
Similar to quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, Smith-Schuster is not about to take this Jaguars team lightly in the Divisional Round after their surprising run over the past couple of months.
“You talk about a defense that’s aggressive — they play hard, they attack the ball,” the Chiefs playmaker voiced. “Them playing against the [Los Angeles] Chargers, you could see that they’re not going to quit. They have a high-powered offense just as we do, so it’s going to be nice. It’s going to be a good game. Gladiator football is what I would say.”
He added later that he sees the Jaguars the same way that many (including himself) see the San Francisco 49ers.
“Another team that’s a very, very successful team — really good team — and now, both of those teams are playoff teams,” he explained. “Jacksonville is a playoff team, they’re going to come in here with a lot of energy and they’re going to give us their best game.”
The Chiefs beat the Jags and Niners pretty handily in Weeks 7 and 10 of the 2022 regular season but as Smith-Schuster noted, both are playing some of their best football now during the playoffs. Sorry Jacksonville fans, with head coach Andy Reid at the helm KC is not likely to overlook any opponent anytime soon.
Prepare yourself for Arrowhead’s finest on Saturday afternoon.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman ‘Out’ vs Jaguars, Clyde Edwards-Helaire Unlikely to Be Activated
As the final injury report posted for Chiefs versus Jaguars, wide receiver Mecole Hardman was listed as “out.” Afterward the announcement, the speedster tweeted at fans once again on social media.
Coach Reid also admitted that running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and tight end Jody Fortson are both unlikely to be activated off the injured reserve before kickoff. If the Chiefs were to win, the AFC championship game could be a possibility for either of the two long-term absences.
The rest of the roster appears to be healthy, as cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee), defensive end Frank Clark (groin) and wide receiver Skyy Moore (hand) all logged full practices on Thursday, January 19.
For the Jags, quarterback Trevor Lawrence (toe), guard Brandon Scherff (abdomen), wide receivers Jamal Agnew and Kendric Pryor (shoulders), offensive lineman Luke Fortner (back) and long-snapper Ross Matiscik (back) are all listed as questionable after limited practices on Thursday.
However, Adam Stites of Jags Wire reported that “it’d be a surprise if any of the six players missed the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs due to injury” — aside from Pryor who is expected to be inactive either way.