The Kansas City Chiefs will be exceptionally thin at wide receiver and offense tackle for Sunday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks.
On Friday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced that wide receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring) and right tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion protocol) will both miss Sunday's primetime showdown, dealing blows to a pair of already-depleated position groups.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton has been on injured reserve (IR) since suffering a dislocated ankle in Week 4, which is reportedly set to sideline him until at least late-December. Meanwhile, left tackle Josh Simmons was placed on IR after weeks of rehab "plateaued" this week.
How will the Chiefs manage without Rice and Moore in Seattle?
When Moore left last week's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, veteran offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu stepped in at right tackle, and he projects to start on Sunday night. Ezeudu held his own against Los Angeles, though the Seahawks' pass rush is far more fierce. With Simmons sidelined for the foreseeable future, undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson is expected to continue as the Chiefs' left tackle.
Without Rice last week, the Chiefs relied heavily on Xavier Worthy as their top pass catcher, as Worthy took 84% of the offensive snaps and caught all seven of his targets for 73 yards. Rookie Cyrus Allen caught two passes for 27 yards, while second-year receiver Jalen Royals caught two for 24. Andrew Armstrong also recorded his first NFL catch for a 13-yard gain.
Royals was second in wide receiver snaps (45, 74%) while Armstrong was third (42, 69%).
Running back Brashard Smith ruled out, Jayden Ott set for call-up
On Friday, Reid also revealed that second-year running back Brashard Smith "hurt his hamstring" on Thursday, knocking him out for Sunday night. In Smith's absence, Reid said that rookie practice squad running back Jaydn Ott "will be the one that works into his spot."
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