Eagles Linemen, Chiefs Receivers Ailing
There is still about a week before the practice reports become relevant heading into Super Bowl 57.
Expect to see plenty of did not practice (rest) designations moving forward as both teams try to manage the injuries of some key players.
The hope is that when the ball is kicked off for the Super Bowl, it will be all hands on deck for both teams.
The Super Bowl odds have the Philadelphia Eagles currently listed as a one-point favorite. That could change based on the injury updates over the next 10 days.
Keep on reading for more on the NFL injuries and updates of who could be in and who could be out or limited in the Super Bowl.
Quarterbacks Good to Go
At various times in recent weeks, there were some major concerns about quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurts missed two games due to a shoulder issue. He came back to help the Eagles secure the top seed in the NFC with a win over the New York Giants in the regular-season finale.
In the three games since his return to the field, he ran the ball 29 times. While he did not approach the 15-carry mark that he hit during the regular season, Hurts still got out and used his legs at the appropriate times.
Mahomes injured his ankle in the Division Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
All Mahomes did was throw for 326 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 win over Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game, even though he wasn’t close to being 100%. Never did he look more in pain than when he rolled left and had to put most of his weight on his injured ankle as he threw the ball late in the game against the Bengals.
He was clearly hobbled and will be dealing with a tender ankle against the Eagles. Still, the player listed by the Las Vegas odds as the favorite to win the regular-season Most Valuable Player award will be ready to roll at kickoff.
When looking at the Super Bowl prediction, Hurts (+115) and Mahomes (+125) are the favorites in the odds to be named Super Bowl MVP. For exclusive offers on betting Super Bowl 57, click here.
Blocking Out the Pain
The last thing the fans of the Eagles needed to see late in the dominating win over the San Francisco 49ers was offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson leaving the game.
Dickerson hyperextended his elbow. However, he appears to be on track to play.
#Eagles’ Landon Dickerson (elbow) expected to play in the Super Bowl, per sources. The left guard will wear a brace on his right arm.
Keeping the OL intact will be important vs. Chiefs’ potent DL and especially All Pro DT Chris Jones: https://t.co/367jD8W1id
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 31, 2023
He was limited to 82% of the offensive snaps last week, his lowest total since a week 5 win against Arizona.
Johnson is dealing with various injuries. He was questionable heading into the NFC title game and all he did was shut down NFL sack leader Nick Bosa in impressive fashion. Don’t expect to see much of Johnson on the practice field over the next 10 days. It would take something pretty serious for Johnson to miss this game. Johnson was limited to 81% of the snaps. That hasn’t stopped plenty of Super Bowl bets from landing on the Eagles.
Pass Catchers Ailing
There were plenty of questions about the receivers that Mahomes would be throwing after the offseason trade of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
However, there are now different sorts of questions popping up for the Chiefs with wide receivers Mecole Hardman (pelvis), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Kadarius Toney (ankle) and Justin Watson (illness) all questionable.
Smith-Schuster was second only to tight end Travis Kelce with 78 catches and 101 targets during the regular season. Watson led all Kansas City players with at least 10 catches with an average of 21 yards per reception. When looking at the Super Bowl picks, Smith-Schuster and Toney are priced at +1400 to have the first touchdown for the Chiefs.
It is too early to tell which of these players will be active during the Super Bowl. But, a week from now, there should be a better idea regarding the availability of the outside receivers.
The good news is that after Kelce showed up as questionable on the injury report for the AFC title game, there is no such designation at the current time.
Injured Defensive Players On the Mend
When looking at the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball, there shouldn’t be too many injury-related concerns as the days move along.
Defensive end Derek Barnett (ribs), linebacker Shaun Bradley (wrist) and defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu (knee) are all on injured reserve and aren’t expected to be back in time for the game.
For the Chiefs, there are concerns about the availability of veteran linebacker Willie Gay and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
Gay is dealing with a shoulder injury while Sneed needs to work his way through concussion protocol to play.
Sneed and Gay finished second and third on the Chiefs in tackles during the regular season. Gay typically played between 60-80% of the defensive snaps. However, he was out there for just 26 snaps in the AFC title tilt.
Sneed played every defensive snap 12 times this season. He managed to be on the field for only four snaps against the Bengals. If they are unable to go, that certainly could impact the Super Bowl lines and especially the total, which is currently at 50½.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
