(Kansas City) Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes practiced without his top three wide wingers on Wednesday, sitting out due to injury and illness. And there is no guarantee that the situation will be much better Sunday night when the Chiefs visit the Los Angeles Chargers.
JuJu Smith-Schuster remained on concussion protocol after receiving a helmet-to-helmet hit Sunday from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco.
Smith-Schuster remained on the ground for several minutes before being able to get up and leave the playing surface with the help of teammates. It is unlikely that he will get the green light in the short term.
PHOTO CHARLIE RIEDEL, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
JuJu Smith-Schuster (9)
In practice on Wednesday, the Chiefs were also without Mecole Hardman, who sat out Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with an abdominal injury, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was battling an illness that is appeared in the last few days.
So, to catch his passes, Mahomes found himself with reserve Justin Watson, rookie Skyy Moore, newcomer Kadarius Toney and Marcus Kemp, who is used to making his mark on special teams.
The three absent receivers on Wednesday all had good streaks.
Smith-Schuster caught five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills, seven for 124 yards and a major against the 49ers San Francisco, and 10 for 88 yards against the Tennessee Titans.
He had had time to make two catches against the Jaguars before Mahomes’ pass to the center of the field led to the incident with Cisco, whose shoulder and helmet hit Smith-Schuster in the head.
“We’re going to have to go day by day. We’re going to be careful with him,” head coach Andy Reid said, adding that he hadn’t had any communications from the NFL about the incident with Cisco.
“We’re not going to do anything that we shouldn’t be doing based on what the data shows. »
Hardman had scored a touchdown in each of the last three games, for a total of five in that span, before having to sit out Sunday against the Jaguars. Against the Titans, he had been the target of nine assists from Mahomes.
PHOTO GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Mecole Hardman (17)
As for Valdes-Scantling, he grabbed three passes for 60 yards and scored his first touchdown with the Chiefs on Sunday against the Jaguars.
Meanwhile, Moore caught just seven passes for 106 yards. Watson has seven catches, 113 yards and two touchdowns.
As for Toney, he’s only had 37 plays in his career with the Chiefs, although his performance against the Jaguars was encouraging, with four catches for 57 yards and his first major in the league. NFL.
Toney also had 33 rushing yards.
“I wasn’t surprised to see him make the plays, but it’s to his credit that we can move him from one position to another,” Mahomes said.
“He arrived here, he learned several positions, we took him from one role to another; he is not in a single position. We will continue to use his services because it will make us better as the season progresses, ”added the star quarterback of the Chiefs.
Especially if the Chiefs are without two or three of their other wide wingers.