The Kansas City Chiefs are getting prepared to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, kicking off their first practice of the week on Wednesday. 

Speaking to reporters, Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave his typical pre-practice injury update. A total of five players were slated to be absent from practice to start the week according to Reid. 

"I can give you a couple of injuries here," Reid began. "Guys who won't practice today: Skyy Moore. Trey Smith is sick. Mike Edwards (is) still in the (concussion) protocol. (Isiah) Pacheco (has a sprained) toe, but is getting better. And Joe Thuney with the pec strain." 

During the brief media look at practice, DT Derrick Nnadi (tricep) and LB Willie Gay Jr. (neck) were not spotted on the field by reporters in attendance. They could have been omitted from Reid's report for various reasons. That said the injuries and absences reported by Reid aren't all created equal, with several being more concerning than others. 

Let's dive in.

Don't worry about Isiah Pacheco's toe

Pacheco popped up on the injury report with a sprained toe on Wednesday, but it's not believed to be a serious injury that will hinder him in any way or prevent him from playing. 

The Chiefs don't allow players with "significant" injuries to speak with the media, but Pacheco had his scheduled podium session to kick off the practice week on Wednesday. Pacheco was asked by reporters if he would play in the AFC title game on Sunday in light of the injury news. 

"Absolutely," he said.

The latest on Chiefs LG Joe Thuney

The Chiefs are going to do everything in their power to get Thuney prepared to play on Sunday, but they're not holding any illusions about the situation. It's going to be very tough for him to play against the Ravens in the AFC title game with his low-grade right pec strain. 

The training staff is going to give him every opportunity to get ready this week, but it'd be a stretch to say he'd be able to get in even a limited practice session. If he's making the right type of progress throughout the week, I'm told the Chiefs will list him as questionable on Friday's final injury report. In that case, they'd give him a final evaluation on Saturday morning with the potential to rule him out on Saturday or declare him as a game-time decision for Sunday. Think of the situation that occurred with Kadarius Toney just this past week in the divisional round. 

If Thuney is unable to play, they'll lean on veteran backup OL Nick Allegreti as their contingency plan and starting left guard against Baltimore.

Mike Edwards must complete these steps to clear concussion protocol

Edwards suffered a concussion early on in last Sunday's game against the Bills. There are five steps that Edwards must complete as part of the NFL’s return-to-participation protocols to play against the Ravens.

Phase 1: Symptom Limited Activity.

Edwards will be prescribed a heavy dose of rest. Players are told to avoid any activities (physical or cognitive) that could lead to a return of concussion symptoms. They're allowed to do things like stretching, balance work, and very light aerobic exercises at the discretion of the team training staff. If there are no new or increasing concussion symptoms during this phase, Edwards can move to the next phase. 

Phase 2: Aerobic Exercise.

This phase includes the introduction of a “graduated cardiovascular exercise program.” The training and medical staff will add things like running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike to Edwards' routine. If he doesn’t develop any new or worsening concussion symptoms, he’ll be permitted to advance to the next phase.

Phase 3: Football Specific Exercise.

During this phase, Edwards will be allowed to partake in supervised strength training and football-specific exercises with the rest of the team, but he can only do so in 30-minute intervals or less. Players who reach this phase often turn in limited participation practices. We know that Edwards hasn't reached this phase as of Wednesday.

Phase 4: Club-Based Non-Contact Training Drills.

All non-contact football work is permitted during this phase. Edwards can start doing footwork drills, backpedaling drills, ball drills, and so on. If he can get through this portion without any new or worsening symptoms AND get cleared on his neurocognitive testing, he'll be ready for the final phase.

Phase 5: Full Football Activity/Clearance.

If Edwards can make it through team meetings, conditioning, and non-contact practice without recurring or worsening symptoms, he'll be reading for the final neurocognitive testing and clearance for all football activities. This can happen as late as Sunday morning ahead of the game.

On Skyy Moore and Chiefs wide receiver injuries

Last week, Andy Reid confirmed that Skyy Moore had suffered a setback in practice after he was designated to return from injured reserve. He remains on IR and has not been activated to the 53-man roster, and his absence from practice suggests he's no closer to making a return this week. 

As for WRs Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross, they were both present for practice on Wednesday. They were listed as questionable heading into the divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills. Toney was ruled out on Saturday while Ross ended up playing in the game on Sunday night. 

Check back for the latest injury report from practice:

Player	Injury	Participation
LG Joe Thuney	Pectoral	DNP
WR Skyy Moore (IR)	Knee	DNP
S Mike Edwards	Concussion	DNP
RG Trey Smith	Illness	DNP
RB Isiah Pacheco	Toe	DNP
DT Derrick Nnadi	Tricep	DNP
LB Willie Gay Jr.	Neck	LP
QB Blaine Gabbert	Oblique	LP
CB L’Jarius Sneed	Calf	LP
OT Prince Tega Wangho	Quad	FP
CB Trent McDuffie	Ankle	FP
OT Wanya Morris	Concussion	FP
DE Charles Omenihu	Wrist	FP
WR Rashee Rice	Hamstring	FP
WR Kadarius Toney	Hip	FP
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling	Oblique	FP
CB Joshua Williams	Knee	FP

KEY: DNP = Did not participate | LP = Limited participation | FP = Full participation | NIR = Not injury related

Observations:

• Limited designations for Gay Jr. and Sneed are no surprise, but monitor QB Blaine Gabbert's status. Outside of Patrick Mahomes and Gabbert, the Chiefs only have practice squad QB Chris Oladokun. 

For more information on the Ravens' injury situation, check here.

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