KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyrann Mathieu will play in the AFC championship against the Cincinnati Bengals after the Chiefs removed the questionable designation on their safety Sunday morning.
Mathieu suffered a concussion during last week’s Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills but returned to practice in full on Thursday and Friday. He needed a final clearance from the independent neurological consultant, which he received over the weekend.
Head coach Andy Reid expressed optimism on Friday that Mathieu would play today.
“The Badger, Tyrann, he’s still in the protocol but he did practice today,” Reid said after Friday’s practice. “We think he’ll be ready to roll in a day or so. We’ll see tomorrow.”
The return of Mathieu means the Chiefs will have their starting secondary intact for Sunday’s game, including cornerback Rashad Fenton. Fenton practiced in full this week after a back injury kept him out of the team’s previous two playoff wins.
The Chiefs elevated wide receiver Daurice Fountain from the practice squad on Saturday. The complete inactive list for the Chiefs:
- RB Derrick Gore
- OT Prince Tega Wanogho
- DE Joshua Kaindoh
- DT Khalen Saunders
- CB Deandre Baker
- QB Shane Buechele
The return of Darrel Williams from a toe injury keeps on the bench Gore, who didn’t take a snap on offense last week. Clyde Edwards-Helaire expects to share the workload with Jerick McKinnon but Williams should see snaps as well.
The return of Fenton results in Baker on the inactive list. Fenton should reclaim his role as the nickel cornerback from Mike Hughes, who struggled last week versus Buffalo.
The eight offensive linemen for the Chiefs on Sunday are starters Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Andrew Wylie along with backups Nick Allegretti, Austin Blythe and Kyle Long.
