Ad Blocker Placeholder

Super Bowl Notebook: Chiefs could be without three key players vs. 49ers

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs could be without three key players when they play the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Wide receiver Kadarius Toney appeared to get into a dispute with Chiefs management about a hip injury that sidelined him for six games, going on Instagram to say he didn't receive the proper injury designation for the AFC championship game at Baltimore on Jan. 28.

But he told NFL Media on Monday that his expletive-filled rant was aimed at a New York Giants fan and not the Chiefs and called his outburst a mistake.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn't commit Tuesday to playing Toney, opening the way for a potential healthy scratch.

“We'll see how that goes,” Reid said. “He's been practicing, and we'll see whether he's up or not.”

Also, Reid wasn't optimistic running back Jerick McKinnon or guard Joe Thuney would play.

McKinnon has been on injured reserve since Dec. 24 with a groin injury and hasn't practiced.

“It's slim for him to be out there,” Reid said.

Thuney didn't play against the Ravens because of a pectoral injury.

“It's strength and making sure that he's in a position that he doesn't get hurt worse than what he's got,” Reid said. “We'll see (whether Thuney practices). I think it's a long shot.”

Football Nate-tion Super Bowl Preview: How do you bet against Patrick Mahomes?
Tim Micallef is joined by Nate Burleson for another edition of Football Nate-ion just one week away from the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers to discuss the biggest storylines in the lead up to the big game.
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      GOING ALL OUT

      49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks called out his unit last week for not playing hard on every play of their 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship.

      Safety Tashaun Gipson agreed.

      “That's something that never needs to be coached,” Gipson said. "That's something that never needs to be addressed. This is the National Football League. You're here on the biggest stage. Those plays are unacceptable. Led to two touchdowns.

      “That film (session) was hard. Obviously, you had to see that. You had to hear some choice words. But that's not our brand of football. We're a lot better football team than that, so it's not something I'm worried about moving forward.”

      San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said lack of effort was an issue, but there were other problems the Niners had in trying to stop Detroit's running attack in the first half. The Lions rushed for 148 yards in the first 30 minutes, but only 34 after that.

      “When you play an eight-man front, it just takes one guy to out of the gap for there to be only one (defender) left,” Shanahan said. “That's stuff we've got to do a lot better at.”

      'They've set the standard': 49ers' Purdy on trying to follow in Montana and Young's footsteps
      San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy talks about how the 49ers have helped build him into the player he is today and discusses the standard of winning in the organization set by past Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young.
      Video Player is loading.
      Current Time 0:00
      Duration 0:00
      Loaded: 0%
      Stream Type LIVE
      Remaining Time 0:00
       
      1x
        • Chapters
        • descriptions off, selected
        • captions off, selected

          EXPANDING CHIEFS FAN BASE

          Chiefs owner Clark Hunt was at a function about a week ago when a woman in her mid-20s approached him. She explained that she was never a football fan, even though everyone else in her family were Dallas Cowboys diehards, but that as a “Swiftie” of the highest regard she keenly followed pop superstar Taylor Swift's every move.

          Naturally, that means she now keenly follows the Chiefs.

          Ever since the 14-time Grammy-winning songstress began dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce last year, the franchise has seen a noticeable growth in fans in what Hunt called “that young female demographic.” They are driving up TV ratings for games, buying merchandise and apparel by the truckload, and throwing their lot into a team many knew nothing about.

          “There's no doubt that her being a fan has put more intense focus on the team than we would have had otherwise, and has opened up the fanbase to a whole new demographic that we really didn't have,” Hunt told a small group of reporters on Tuesday.

          “Having Taylor as a Chiefs fan is very unique," Hunt added. "I don't ever do an interview without someone asking me about it. I frequently have dads come up to me and say, ‘My 10-to-12-year-old daughters never used to watch football, but now they tell me any time the Chiefs are playing to tell them, so they can come and watch.'”

          All those Swifties will no doubt tune into the Super Bowl. Swift is expected to make a mad dash from Tokyo, where she will be performing on her Eras Tour the previous night, across the Pacific so that she can arrive in Las Vegas in time for kickoff.

          'It's been an amazing journey': Kelce on what's molded this Chiefs team into greatness
          Chiefs' Travis Kelce discusses all the adversity and ups and downs that this group has faced this year, which he says molded them into what he considers one of the best football teams he's ever been on.
          Video Player is loading.
          Current Time 0:00
          Duration 0:00
          Loaded: 0%
          Stream Type LIVE
          Remaining Time 0:00
           
          1x
            • Chapters
            • descriptions off, selected
            • captions off, selected

              MORE FEMALE STAR POWER

              Iowa's Caitlin Clark, the reigning women's college basketball player of the year, continues to sell out arenas at home and on the road as she chases the NCAA Division I scoring record.

              Her brother was the backup quarterback at rival Iowa State to 49ers second-year starter Brock Purdy. Blake Clark will be the best man in Purdy's upcoming wedding.

              “Caitlin, I wasn’t around as much, but obviously just through Blake, we’d always watch her,” Purdy said. “What a baller she was from day one. Obviously, even high school. We knew that she was going to be a game-changer. To see her now, just absolutely killing it, couldn’t be happier for her.”

              Clark is 66 points from breaking the NCAA record of 3,527 held by former Washington star and current Las Vegas Aces All-Star Kelsey Plum.

              NFL NEWS

              More Headlines

              COMMENTS

              When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.