The Kansas City Chiefs seek to be among the rare company in the NFL history. With a win in Super Bowl LVIII, they could have their third NFL Championship in just five seasons.
They would also become just the ninth team in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes would become just the fifth quarterback with three Super Bowl victories, and the first to accomplish the feat before the age of 30.
Indeed, the Chiefs have a great deal riding on their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, who themselves are trying to end a 28-year Super Bowl drought after winning five titles with Joe Montana and Steve Young.
However, Kansas City will have to accomplish all these things without one of their wide receivers. According to an ESPN report,
“Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is not expected to play Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”
Toney, a former first round pick by the New York Giants in the 2021 NFL Draft, has failed to live up to the expectations of such a high pick. As a rookie, he caught 39 passes for 420 yards, but has not come close to reaching even those numbers in the two seasons since.
This past year, Toney caught 27 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs. However, he has not played since Week 15 when he tipped a pass to a New England Patriots defender for an interception. It was the second time he had done that this season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said “we’ll see” when asked Tuesday whether Toney would play, adding that Toney has “been practicing, we’ll just see whether he’s up or not.”
Toney did not play in the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills, and was ruled out with hip and ankle injuries. He did not appear on the injury report this week leading up to the Super Bowl, however.
The former first round pick infamously was called for lining up offsides on a key play in the Chiefs’ regular season matchup with the Bills:
It certainly seems like the Chiefs feel they have a better chance to win without him on the field. If this is the case, it is hard to see Toney returning to Kansas City next season.
