Chiefs activate McKinnon for the Super Bowl while inactive Toney
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney of the Kansas City Chiefs is not expected to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers, but running back Jerick McKinnon is.
Skyy Moore, a wide receiver, is also involved with Kansas City.
Both McKinnon and Moore, who were instrumental in the Chiefs’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the previous season’s Super Bowl, have not appeared on the field since December 17 in New England. Early in January, McKinnon underwent surgery for a core ailment and was deemed doubtful to play against the 49ers, while Moore had to spend some time on injured reserve due to a persistent knee problem.
Moore caught a touchdown pass against Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. In the final seconds, McKinnon produced a huge play by stopping just short of the goal line and letting the timer run, which created the opportunity for Harrison Butker to score the game-winning field goal in Arizona.
In just 12 games this season, McKinnon has only managed 21 runs for 60 yards and a touchdown; yet, he has been an invaluable weapon out of the backfield, catching 25 catches for 192 yards and four touchdowns. Moore played in 14 games but had 21 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown early in the season while struggling with missed passes.
Toney was a key player in Kansas City’s Super Bowl triumph the previous year, but this season has been difficult for him due to injuries and patchy play.
He hasn’t played since deflecting a pass to a defender for an interception in the second half of this season during a Week 15 game against the Patriots. However, he was not mentioned on the Chiefs’ injury report for their game on Sunday.
When asked on Tuesday if Toney will play, Chiefs coach Andy Reid responded, “We’ll see,” adding that the receiver has “been practicing, we’ll just see whether he’s up or not.”
Prior to the Chiefs’ victory in the AFC Championship Game, Toney made waves off the field when he declared himself “not hurt” in a widely shared Instagram Live video. Toney’s remarks were taken to mean that he wasn’t suffering from the hip and ankle issues that the Chiefs had reported on his weekly injury reports.
On Monday, Toney provided clarification, stating that the fans of his previous team, the New York Giants, were the target of his foul-mouthed tirade and that he “never attacked the Chiefs, never said anything about the Chiefs.”
Toney was supposed to carry a heavy load for the Chiefs this season, but he has only managed 27 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown. In a Dec. 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he was also flagged for an offside penalty, which overturned his game-winning touchdown on a haphazard Travis Kelce lateral. Reid subsequently claimed that Toddy failed to confirm his alignment with the sideline official.
Wide receiver Justin Ross, running back La’Mical Perine, defensive end BJ Thompson, cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe, and linebacker Damian Harris were among the other Kansas City players sidelined for Sunday’s contest.
QB Brandon Allen, receiver Ronnie Bell, cornerback Samuel Womack III, linebacker Joel Graham, offensive lineman Matt Pryor, and defensive linemen Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill were among the 49ers’ inactives.
