The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a disappointing loss on Monday against the Las Vegas Raiders in more ways than the scoreboard. Injuries to Isiah Pacheco, Mike Edwards, and L’Jarius Sneed have their availability this week in question; with the prospect of their top cover cornerback missing a must-win game, there is growing concern.
During his Thursday press conference, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo addressed these concerns about Sneed’s availability.
“It’ll look a little different. I mean, you guys have seen LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) kind of traveled with, usually, the top wideout,” Spagnuolo explained. “So, the decision we’ll have to make is, do we put somebody else in that role? Or do we do what we normally do and stay right and left? So we’ll figure that out. When the time comes.
“We’re hopeful for L’Jarius. I mean, I thought he and Mike Edwards, going back in the game last week, was big; they got dinged up there. And when you lose two key secondary guys, and in any game, there’s some shuffling and some scrambling. And when those guys bounce back in there, that was huge, but you know, we’ll, you know, the training staff will, and LJ will make that decision. So hopefully.”
Sneed left momentarily during Monday’s game with a calf injury and has continued to suffer lingering effects by missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We got to have plans A, B, and C, and that’s what we do now,” said Spagnuolo, “The other guys that are in there as we practice will practice as if we don’t have LJ, and then we’re ready to go if we get to Sunday, and that happens.”
Sneed still hasn’t been officially ruled out for the New Year’s Eve battle with the Cincinnati Bengals, but Spagnuolo and his staff will be prepared for the worst possible outcome.