The Kansas City Chiefs relied on their depth throughout the strenuous 2023 season. Injuries to starters threatened the team’s chances of another championship, but invaluable performances from backups like offensive lineman Nick Allegretti have kept them on top of the NFL.
The absence of All-Pro guard Joe Thuney was a concern heading into the matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, but Allegretti filled in successfully. He recently appeared as a guest on the Jim Rome Show to reveal a significant injury he dealt with in the Super Bowl LVIII victory.
“I haven’t suffered an injury like that until then, I immediately knew,” Allegretti explained. “It was something that you heard a pop, you felt it, and knowing minimal about anatomy, knew that something was wrong in my elbow because my elbow is not supposed to bend that way.
“Fortunately, we had the two-minute warning, and I had a couple (of) seconds to gather myself, figure out that my arm (was) still bent, and I was able to go. It was a tough situation, but fortunate enough, I was able to still play.”
Allegretti managed to still play effectively despite the injury to his UCL, not allowing a sack in the overtime period as Patrick Mahomes led the game-winning drive.
“I was probably playing at about a five,” Allegretti said, rating his pain from 1 to 10. “It was one of those things that I could confidently use the arm, knowing that, most likely, the UCL was already gone, so I wasn’t going to tear it any worse. So, if I could deal with the pain, I could play. So it was one of those things.”
Chiefs guard @Gretti_53 on battling through a torn UCL to play every snap in the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/p21nbSLrgA
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 16, 2024
The veteran offensive lineman was clutch and showed tremendous grit to finish the game. His performance in relief is a reminder of how much the team played for one another this season.