The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Allegiant Stadium to face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 11, at 5:30 P.M.
Kansas City’s defensive line is going to be tested against San Francisco’s offensive line because one of their rotational players suffered a season-ending injury in their last game.
The Kansas City Chiefs defensive end suffered an ACL injury in the AFC Championship
Charles Omenihu exited in the first half of the AFC Championship game against Baltimore. An MRI confirmed that Omenihu tore his ACL.
Omenihu was having a solid first season in Kansas City. He appeared in 11 games and started once, recording 28 tackles, five for a loss, 11 quarterback hits, seven sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
He also had three tackles, one quarterback hit, one sack, and one forced fumble in three playoff games.
Their 1st round pick could be crucial for their defensive front.
Their 1st round pick could play a significant role
Felix Anudike-Uzomah could be in store for a big role on the biggest stage.
Kansas City drafted Anudike-Uzomah in the 1st round, 31st overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Anudike-Uzomah has played a minor role in his rookie season, only representing 20% of defensive snaps. He registered 14 tackles, two for a loss, seven quarterback hits, 0.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 17 regular season games.
He was a healthy scratch in all three of their playoff games.
Because of the injury to Omenihu, Anudike-Uzomah could get significant playing time and could be part of the rotation.
Kansas City’s defensive coordinator believes in the rookie
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is confident in Anudike-Uzomah’s abilities.
“We feel real confident with where Felix is,” Spagnuolo said. “I know that we’ve talked about this—let’s say we were back in September or October — I know the questions have come at times where we were rotating guys. We’ve rotated linebackers, rotated D-line, we’ve rotated corners with Josh (Williams) and Jaylen (Watson). I’m pretty sure I said at the time [that] part of the reason we do it is to be ready later when guys have to step in, and Felix is a pretty good example. He would get some plays here and there. I’ve said this before, it wasn’t a reflection on what Felix was doing or not doing, but the other guys were playing pretty good. And then Charles came. But now, hopefully, the fact that Felix has played some in games [means] he’ll be able to step in there and play pretty well for us.”
Will the rookie have a big game?
Will the 2nd-ranked scoring defense of the Kansas City Chiefs stop the 3rd-ranked scoring offense of the San Francisco 49ers, and will Felix Anudike-Uzomah get significant playing time and have a big game?
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