Chiefs vs. Lions Inactives: Who's In, Who's Out?
With the offseason and preseason officially in the books, as well as an initial 53-man roster being set, the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to start their 2023 season.
Hosting an upstart Detroit Lions team, Kansas City will raise its championship banner in front of a packed crowd at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Andy Reid's group has spent the last several weeks and months celebrating its big win, although the franchise also made it perfectly clear during training camp that it was time to turn the page and move forward. While it almost surely will be a serious challenge, the Chiefs' quest for a second consecutive Super Bowl begins on Thursday night.
On the opposite sideline, Dan Campbell's squad — coming off a 9-8 record in 2022 — is looking to play the spoiler role against the NFL's best team from a season ago. With a high-powered offense led by quarterback Jared Goff and a seemingly improved defense that slowly found its footing over the course of last year, the Lions have legitimate playoff aspirations now. Both teams have opportunities to send statements on the NFL's opening night, even with injuries impacting both sides.
With that in mind, ahead of their season opener at home, the Chiefs' list of inactive players has been released:
The most notable headline name not playing on Thursday for Kansas City is tight end Travis Kelce, who suffered a hyperextended knee and subsequent bone bruise during practice on Tuesday. Despite the All-Pro's best efforts to convince Reid and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder to allow him to play against Detroit, the team is exercising caution in hopes that he'll potentially be available 10 days from now for a Week 2 outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the first time Kelce will miss a game due to injury since 2014.
Everyone else on the Kansas City injury report this week was either a full participant in every practice or graduated to full involvement by Wednesday. The two key non-Kelce players to watch were wide receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who were both nursing knee injuries. Both of them will play in Week 1, leaving the Chiefs in a mostly good spot health-wise. Notable members of the inactive list include rookies Nic Jones (who was a full participant in this week's practice), BJ Thompson (also on the report but a full participant) and Wanya Morris.
The Lions' inactives have also been released:
Moseley being out is no surprise, as Detroit ruled out its veteran defensive back in advance of Thursday's game after he was a limited participant in practice with a knee injury. Elsewhere, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs (illness) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday but is inactive. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring) and offensive lineman Frank Ragnow (toe/rest) were full participants and are active, playing against the Chiefs to start the season.
