Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay won’t play in the AFC Championship game after neck spasms that have bothered him for the past week flared up again Sunday morning.
Gay tested out his neck injury in an attempt to loosen it up but to no avail, and the team included him on its inactive list. He joins left guard Joe Thuney (pectoral) as the two starters on the team’s inactive list.
The complete inactive list for the Chiefs Sunday:
- LG Joe Thuney
- LB Willie Gay
- WR Kadarius Toney
- DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
- DE BJ Thompson
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe
- CB Keith Taylor
Taylor and defensive tackle Mike Pennel were elevated from the practice squad Sunday for the AFC Championship game. While Taylor won’t play, Pennel is expected to have another big role in the middle of the Kansas City defensive line after playing 40 snaps last week against Buffalo. Also active is defensive tackle Neil Farrell, who would be playing in his fourth game since joining the Chiefs via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders days before the season’s opening. It would also be the first playoff game of his career.
With Gay out of action, the Chiefs will insert Drue Tranquill into the starting role in the weakside linebacker position. Tranquill is also a candidate to spy on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson if the team keeps a defender locked on him to negate his scrambling ability. Behind fellow starters Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal, the Chiefs also have backups Jack Cochrane, Cole Christiansen and Darrius Harris. The Chiefs promoted Harris to the active roster on Friday in place of defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, whom the club placed on injured reserve.
Fifth-year veteran Nick Allegretti will start at left guard in place of Thuney. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Allegretti has played in 74 regular-season contests and 14 playoff games, including three starts at left guard during the team’s postseason run to Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Ravens confirmed Friday that tight end Mark Andrews, would return from injured reserve and be active Sunday. Starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who didn’t play in last week’s win over Houston with a calf injury, will also play Sunday.
The Ravens will be without backup linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips, who played in all 17 regular-season games with one start and tallied 24 total tackles, and backup cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who played in 14 contests with one start, 14 tackles and two passes defended.
The complete inactive list for the Ravens:
- QB Josh Johnson (emergency third quarterback)
- QB Malik Cunningham
- WR Tylan Wallace
- CB Rock Ya-Sin
- LB Del’Shawn Wallace
- C Sam Mustipher
- G Sala Aumavae-Laulu
