The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be at full strength for Super Bowl LVIII. Not if they’re missing one of their offensive stars.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that All-Pro guard Joe Thuney is unlikely to play Sunday due to a pectoral injury suffered during their divisional playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Reid said he “would probably bet” on reserve guard Nick Allegretti starting at left guard for the second straight game.
Allegretti, a fifth-year pro, replaced Thuney in the starting lineup for the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC Championship Game victory over the Baltimore Ravens and received a solid grade from Pro Football Focus, although he allowed one sack, three hurries and four pressures on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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How much of a loss is Joe Thuney for Kansas City Chiefs?
A large part of Patrick Mahomes’ success can be attributed to his stellar offensive line, led by Joe Thuney, who’s the best of the group.
Now in his eighth season, Thuney is a three-time Super Bowl champion — once in New England and twice in Kansas City — and was named an NFL first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career in addition to being invited to his second straight Pro Bowl.
According to PFF, Thuney grades out as the top pass-blocking guard in the NFL. He helps make up a strong interior that includes Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith.
Among interior offensive linemen, Thuney, Humphrey and Smith rank first, second and fourth, respectively, in ESPN’s pass blocking win rate rankings. among interior offensive linemen. As a unit, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line is No. 1 in pass block win rate, according to ESPN.
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Can Nick Allegretti perform well in Joe Thuney’s absence?
Overall, Allegretti is a stronger pass blocker than he is as a run blocker, much like Thuney.
In Week 18, when the Chiefs were finishing up the regular season with a non-essential game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Allegretti started at center.
Beyond that, Allegretti only played 18 offensive snaps in 2023 — seven at center in Week 3 and 11 at right guard in Week 16.
Asking Allegretti to replicate Thuney for a second straight against the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive front will be a tall task, and the 49ers may look to exploit Allegretti in some fashion, given his relative lack of game experience.
While the San Francisco 49ers have no injury concerns going into Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs are dealing with Thuney’s injury and another key loss on defense. They will be missing defensive end Charles Omenihu, who injured his knee against Baltimore and was placed on injured reserve.