Chiefs vs. Titans Inactives: Who's In, Who's Out?
The Kansas City Chiefs are back following a bye week, and they'll host the visiting Tennesee Titans on Sunday Night Football for their Week 9 matchup.
Entering this game, both teams are 5-2 and looking to get into a tie with the Buffalo Bills for the best record in the AFC. Kansas City would benefit in a big way from winning on Sunday, as it would maintain its lead in the AFC West while also distancing itself from Tennesee and increasing the chances of securing the conference's top seed come playoff time. The Titans are a formidable opponent in their own right, however, so the Chiefs may be in for a hard-fought battle.
With that in mind, ahead of their Week 9 game at home, the Chiefs' list of inactive players has been released:
During the week, the Chiefs' injury report situation was one of the best the team has had this season. Aside from a minor blip from linebacker Willie Gay Jr. on Wednesday and tight end Jody Fortson missing practice all week, everyone else on the report practiced fully. Head coach Andy Reid ruled Fortson out on Friday afternoon but luckily for the Chiefs, he was optimistic about rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie returning to the team after an extended stay on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury. McDuffie is indeed officially back for Kansas City on Sunday.
Elsewhere for the Chiefs, the likelihood of new trade acquisition Kadarius Toney making his team debut on Sunday grew higher and higher throughout the week. It was reported on Sunday morning that Toney would be active later on, and that's the case as game time draws near. Kansas City's inactives list contains many players who have already appeared before, such as running back Ronald Jones, quarterback Shane Buechele, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and others.
The Titans' inactives have also been released:
In advance of Week 9's game, the Titans had already ruled out fullback Tory Carter and safety Amani Hooker with respective neck and shoulder injuries. A few other players carried questionable designations into the game, most notably defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (ankle) and quarterback Ryan Tannehill (ankle).
Simmons, one of the better interior defensive linemen in the sport, is active for Tennessee despite not practicing during the week. Tannehill was only spotted on the field for a brief time during pregame warmups, and the veteran is officially missing another game with his injury. Rookie Malik Willis will now make his second start in a row and faces a tough test on the road against Kansas City.
