NFL's bad scheduling decision comes home to roost with Chiefs' star sitting out Week 17 Christmas Day game vs. Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) will play at Acrisure Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 25, for a Christmas Day tilt. The game will be streamed only on Netflix.  Both teams have significant injury concerns heading into the game. The Chiefs are without their most important and highest-paid defender after he tweaked his calf on Saturday. […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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Jan 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones (95) celebrates toward the camera after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild Card playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) will play at Acrisure Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 25, for a Christmas Day tilt. The game will be streamed only on Netflix. 

Both teams have significant injury concerns heading into the game. The Chiefs are without their most important and highest-paid defender after he tweaked his calf on Saturday. The quick turnaround time prevented him from having any real shot at recovering to play in the game. Meanwhile, the Steelers will be without their best cornerback, who was ruled out on Tuesday. 

Here's a look at all of the players who landed on the inactive players list for both teams ahead of the Week 17 matchup.

Chiefs inactive players

  • OL CJ Hanson
  • DT Chris Jones
  • OT Ethan Driskell
  • OT D.J. Humphries
  • DB Chamarri Conner
  • DE Malik Herring
  • DE Joshua Uche

Steelers  inactive players

  • CB Joey Porter Jr.
  • WR Ben Skowronek
  • QB Justin Fields
  • DE Preston Smith
  • DE Dean Lowry

Observations:

With Jones inactive, the Chiefs have opted to make DT Marlon Tuipulotu active for the first time this season. We'll see how much he plays in Jones' absence.

Even without the team's best pass-rusher, trade acquisition Joshua Uche was unable to get himself back on the field, marking his fourth consecutive game as a healthy scratch.

Chiefs TE Peyton Hendershot is active for the first time since Week 12 against the Panthers.

Steelers QB Justin Fields will play the emergency No. 3 QB role this week.

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