The Kansas City Chiefs' offense will remain shorthanded against the Baltimore Ravens and their smothering defense when they roll into M&T Bank Stadium for the AFC Championship. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been ruled out with a hip injury and personal reasons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
This will be the sixth consecutive game the 25-year-old misses, placing more burden on guys like Mecole Hardman Jr. and Justin Watson to step up on the road. There was hope the Super Bowl 57 hero could return for Sunday's pivotal contest since he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, but he was downgraded on Thursday with the bad news coming Saturday.
Although the drops are well-documented and he is polarizing among fans, the 2021 first-round pick is another dynamic athlete Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs could have potentially utilized versus a defense that allowed the sixth fewest passing yards per game during the regular season. Second-year wideout Skyy Moore, who has also been sidelined for more than a month, is out for the AFC title game with a knee injury despite being activated from the Injured Reserve last week. The biggest blow of all, however, is the absence of All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney.
Kansas City went into hostile territory in the divisional round and still vanquished the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes avoided pressure and rekindled a historic connection with tight end Travis Kelce that had been absent in the latter half of the season. The two-time Super Bowl champions will need to come through in the clutch again, but the Chiefs' defense should play a huge factor.
If defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can neutralize the Ravens' receiving corps, KC could compensate for its own unpredictable offense.
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