KC Chiefs Confident in Felix Anudike-Uzomah Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has been perhaps the NFL's best this season, although it faces a serious challenge in multiple aspects entering Super Bowl LVIII.
First and foremost, the personnel the San Francisco 49ers boast is second to none. Finding ways to slow down players like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle all at once is no easy feat. It's even more difficult, though, when you aren't 100% healthy on the other side of the ball.
That's the case for Kansas City, as defensive lineman Charles Omenihu will miss the most important contest of the season with a torn ACL. Several players will be used to help offset that loss, but rookie defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah has all eyes on him during the club's ramp-up for the championship game.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke to the media on Friday, discussing the team's potential replacement plan for Omenihu.
“I’ll tell you, you don’t replace that height and that length that he has but we’ll get guys to step in there," Spagnuolo said. Felix will probably have to step in, everybody has to up their game in a Super Bowl anyway. Hopefully, like last week, I think it was decent in the first half where we didn’t have to play as many plays. If the play count gets up, that’s where it gets tough for George (Karlaftis) being out there a lot and Mike (Danna) and that’s when we have to have guys to step in there.”
If Anudike-Uzomah is active in the Super Bowl, it'll be by far the biggest moment of his career thus far. The No. 31 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft played double-digit snaps in each of his first five games during the regular season, but those numbers dwindled once Omenihu returned from suspension. With plenty of starters resting in Week 18, Anudike-Uzomah played 61 snaps and recorded two pressures against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In each of the Chiefs' outings in the AFC playoffs, however, Anudike-Uzomah didn't get any snaps. In fact, he was a healthy scratch and inactive for every single game. Kansas City is on record not being worried about his lack of high-end and high-volume reps, something Spagnuolo doubled down on before Friday's practice
"We feel real confident with where Felix is," Spagnuolo said. "I know that we've talked about this — let's say we were back in September or October — I know the questions have come at times where we were rotating guys. We've rotated linebackers, rotated D-line, we've rotated corners with Josh (Williams) and Jaylen (Watson). I'm pretty sure I said at the time [that] part of the reason we do it is to be ready later when guys have to step in, and Felix is a pretty good example. He would get some plays here and there. I've said this before, it wasn't a reflection on what Felix was doing or not doing, but the other guys were playing pretty good. And then Charles came. But now, hopefully, the fact that Felix has played some in games [means] he'll be able to step in there and play pretty well for us."
Omenihu played just six snaps before going down with his ACL tear in the AFC Championship Game, and the Chiefs adjusted their snap counts accordingly. As expected (and as Spagnuolo mentioned), Karlaftis and Danna will get premier snaps at the defensive end position. Behind them, Malik Herring is a candidate after playing 12 snaps in the Divisional Round and 14 last weekend. Even in this scenario, it still might leave the door open for the rookie to make an impact.
All season long, Kansas City was consistent about praising Anudike-Uzomah's growth in practice and meetings. It's been hard to see it due to his lack of a workload on game day, but there may be an opportunity for him to show it soon when it truly matters the most. If he can do that, it would end what's been an underwhelming rookie campaign on a good note and send him into the offseason with something to build on. There's no directly replacing what Omenihu brings to the table, although the Chiefs appear focused on giving their top draft pick a chance to be a part of that committee.
