Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney during AFC Championship warmups.
The good news is pouring in for the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the Super Bowl. On the same night that integral defensive back L’Jarius Sneed revealed he had cleared concussion protocol, dynamic wide receiver and starting punt returner Kadarius Toney provided a bold injury update of his own.
USA Today reporter Tyler Dragon shared the news on Twitter, relaying: “Kadarius Toney told me he’s ‘definitely’ playing on Sunday. He suffered an ankle injury in the AFC championship game.”
Kadarius Toney told me he’s “definitely” playing on Sunday. He suffered an ankle injury in the AFC championship game.
Kadarius Toney & L’Jarius Sneed Super Bowl Injury Recoveries Both Going According to Plan
The last we heard from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid before the team traveled to Arizona, both Toney and Sneed were trending toward returning and eventually playing in the 2023 Super Bowl versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now fans can feel even more comfortable about Toney after hearing his guarantee that he will “definitely” suit up on Sunday.
Next up is fellow WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s officially the biggest question mark remaining now that Mecole Hardman has been placed onto the injured reserve once again. Patrick Mahomes’ top receiving option has a knee ailment, but is expected to give it a go this week according to Reid.
Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney Ready to ‘Finish the Job’ in Super Bowl LVII
After the AFC Championship victory, Toney told KSHB41’s Aaron Ladd that although it “feels amazing” to make the Super Bowl, the Chiefs still have “to go finish the job” against the Eagles.
📹VIDEO: Caught up with Kadarius Toney after the #Chiefs clinch another #SuperBowl trip: “Life-changing…but we gotta finish” @KSHB41
“It’s life-changing,” Toney continued during the on-field interview. “Coming out of college, you work hard, you try to do what you can to make it here and I’m here now. We gotta finish, all I gotta say is we gotta finish.”
Less than a year ago, the former first-round playmaker was getting inexplicably phased out of a New York Giants offense that was starved for wide receivers. Now he’s headed to the Super Bowl. What a difference a few months can make.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Confirms Ankle Injury Is Still Trending in Right Direction
Mahomes also addressed the media on February 6 in Arizona, and the first question from NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin was about his high ankle sprain.
“Oh, it’s great, doing good,” the Chiefs signal-caller said with a smile when Irvin asked him how his ankle was recovering.
Later, The KC Star’s Sam McDowell reported that Mahomes told media members that his ankle is “definitely in a better position than it was at this time before the last game.”
That’s tremendous news as the KC superstar attempts to get himself as close to 100% as he can against a fearsome Eagles defense lead by a dominant group of pass rushers and defensive linemen.
“I’ll just trust in [my offensive line],” Mahomes voiced via Dane Richardson of WBNG12News. “We know it’s going to be a challenge. [The Eagles have] one of the best defensive lines in history if you look at sacks, so we know it’s going to be a challenge. I’ll work on throwing the ball away when I need to, getting it out of my hands quick when I need to, and then when we need to trust the offensive line to block and then take some shots downfield, I’ll trust in the offensive line to do that.”
Mahomes would not say whether or not the nerves felt different ahead of his third Super Bowl, but did admit that he has a better understanding of the plan and the lead up this time around. “I guess we’ll see,” he stated candidly, regarding being calmer in 2023, “you don’t know until you get to gameday.”