Chiefs vs. Raiders Inactives: Who's In, Who's Out?

The importance of Sunday afternoon's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders cannot be understated. A win for the Chiefs keeps distance between them and the rest of the AFC West, in addition to severely damaging the Raiders' playoff hopes. A win for the Raiders gets them back to having a winning record and may be what catapults them to success over their subsequent final four games.

With that said, neither team is 100% healthy for this one. The Chiefs are missing a couple of defensive backs, whereas the Raiders have several key contributors who were ruled out heading into Sunday. No team in the NFL is fully healthy at this point, so both the Chiefs and Raiders will need to fight through the pain and adversity in a critical intra-division matchup.

Ahead of this Week 14 matchup, the Chiefs' list of inactive players has been released:

Here are the Chiefs’ inactives for today’s game against Las Vegas:

CB Dicaprio Bootle
QB Shane Buechele
CB L’Jarius Sneed
OL Kyle Long
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) December 12, 2021

The biggest — and most unfortunate — development of the weekend involved Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. On Saturday, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reported that Sneed's brother, TQ Harrison, was killed on Friday night in the Sneed family's hometown of Minden, LA. On Sunday morning, McDowell reported that Sneed "remains back home in Minden with family after his brother's death" and would not be playing against the Raiders. The rising star defensive back has emerged as a centerpiece of the Chiefs' defense, and his absence will most certainly be felt on Sunday.

Offensive lineman Lucas Niang and cornerback Rashad Fenton are active today for the Chiefs. Niang has battled a ribs injury for weeks, and Fenton sprained his knee late in the team's Week 11 victory over the Cowboys. Both players were limited participants in practice all week, but head coach Andy Reid ruled them "ready to roll" for the weekend's game.

Cornerback and special teams standout Chris Lammons was placed on injured reserve Saturday, as he's battling a high-ankle sprain. He'll miss at least the next three weeks for the Chiefs. Cornerbacks Josh Jackson and Dicaprio Bootle were both elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, as special teams coach Dave Toub hinted at during the week. Only Jackson will be active, though, with Bootle finding himself on the inactives list.

The Raiders' inactives have also been released:

The following players are inactive for #LVvsKC pic.twitter.com/huKC7fP6vF
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 12, 2021

The two most important Raiders missing Sunday's game are tight end Darren Waller and linebacker Denzel Perryman. Waller, one of the most electrifying and reliable targets among all tight ends in football, has been battling knee and back injuries for a few weeks and didn't practice throughout the week. Perryman, who ranks third in the NFL in tackles heading into Sunday, was also a non-participant in practice because of an ankle injury. Another notable absence is that of Carl Nassib, as he missed practice all week while dealing with a knee ailment.

Read More: The Chiefs Can All but End the Raiders’ Season With a Win on Sunday