Chiefs' Mike Pennel: Hurts hamstring in Christmas clash
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Pennel is questionable to return to Wednesday's Week 17 game against Pittsburgh due to a hamstring injury.
Pennel headed to the locker room due to the hamstring issue in the second quarter and was deemed questionable to return just prior to halftime. He started the game for Kansas City in place of Chris Jones (calf). Derrick Nnadi and Marlon Tuipulotu are options to step in at defensive tackle if Pennel can't return.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Not playing Wednesday
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Jones (calf) is inactive for Wednesday's game against the Steelers.
As expected, Jones will sit out the Christmas Day contest due to the strained calf he suffered in last Saturday's win over the Texans. With the star defensive tackle sidelined Wednesday, Mike Pennel is likely slated for more snaps on the interior of the line.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Not likely to play Christmas Day
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Jones (calf) remains listed as questionable but is considered unlikely to play Wednesday versus Pittsburgh, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Jones strained his calf in last Saturday's win over Houston and was listed as non-participant on two and a limited participant on one of the Chiefs' three Week 17 injury reports. The defensive tackle doesn't seem to have demonstrated enough improvement in his recovery from the injury to play Wednesday, but an official word on his status will arrive when Kansas City posts its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Jones can't play Wednesday, Mike Pennel could be in line for more than his usual allotment of defensive snaps on the interior.
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Chiefs' Chamarri Conner: Ruled out for Week 17
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Conner (concussion) won't play in Wednesday's matchup against Pittsburgh.
Conner suffered a concussion Week 15 against Cleveland and will now be forced to sit out a second straight game. That should open the door for Christian Roland-Wallace to get more work after he tallied a season-high 31 defensive snaps last Saturday versus Houston. Conner will look to recover in time to play in Kansas City's regular-season finale, which will take place Sunday, Jan. 5 in Denver.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Iffy for Christmas Day game
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The Chiefs list Jones (calf) as questionable for Wednesday's game at Pittsburgh.
Jones strained his calf in this past Saturday's win over the Texans and was listed as a non-participant Sunday and Monday on the team's first two estimated practice reports of the week. The standout defensive lineman was upgraded to a limited participant Tuesday, though the Chiefs merely held a walk-through session. Kansas City will presumably check in with Jones early Wednesday to see how his calf is feeling, but given the quick turnaround for the Week 17 contest, it wouldn't be surprising if the team erred on the side of caution and held him out for the first time all season.
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Chiefs' Jack Cochrane: Placed on injured reserve
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The Chiefs placed Cochrane (ankle) on injured reserve Monday.
Cochrane broke his ankle during a kickoff in the first quarter of Saturday's 27-19 win over the Texans. He won't be available to play in the Chiefs' final two games of the regular season, though he could be activated off IR during the postseason if the Chiefs make a deep playoff run. Cochrane played mostly on special teams and logged five tackles (three solo) across 15 regular-season games.
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Chiefs' Mike Pennel: Sacks Stroud in Week 16
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Pennel tallied four tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, during Kansas City's 27-19 win over Houston on Saturday.
Pennel was credited with his third sack of the regular season Saturday when he pushed C.J. Stroud out of bounds for a five-yard loss early in the third quarter. Pennel could start at defensive tackle against the Steelers on Wednesday if Chris Jones -- who is not practicing Monday due to a calf strain -- is unable to play on Christmas Day.
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Chiefs' Drue Tranquill: Seven tackles against Houston
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Tranquill tallied seven tackles (five solo) during the Chiefs' 27-19 win over the Texans on Saturday.
Tranquill has tallied at least five combined tackles in seven of the Chiefs' 10 regular-season games and has played at least 44 defensive snaps in eight of those contests. Over that span, he has accumulated 56 tackles (30 solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass defenses and two fumble recoveries. Tranquill is up to 85 combined tackles through 15 regular-season games, and he'll have two more games to reach the century mark starting Wednesday against the Steelers.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Sitting out of Monday's practice
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Head coach Andy Reid said Jones (calf) will not participate in Monday's practice, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Jones strained his calf during the Chiefs' 27-19 win over the Texans this past Saturday, and he is considered a "big question mark" for Wednesday's bout against the Steelers, per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. If Jones is unable to suit up for Christmas Day, then Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel would be in line to see increased snaps at defensive tackle alongside starter Tershawn Wharton.
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Chiefs' Chamarri Conner: Won't practice Monday
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Head coach Andy Reid said Conner (concussion) will not participate in Monday's practice, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Conner was diagnosed with a concussion during the Chiefs' Week 15 win over the Browns. He was inactive for this past Saturday's game against the Texans, and Conner faces an uphill battle to clear the league's five-step concussion protocols ahead of Wednesday's game against the Steelers. If Conner is ruled out for Christmas Day, Christian Roland-Wallace -- who played a season-high 31 defensive snaps in Week 16 -- would be slated to serve as the Chiefs' slot corner.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Uncertain for Wednesday
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Jones (calf) is considered a "big question mark" for Wednesday's game against the Steelers, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
Jones hurt his calf in Saturday's 27-19 win over the Texans and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain following an MRI on Sunday, per Glazer. The Chiefs are facing a quick turnaround for the Week 17 game, with the team having just three full days off before the Christmas Day matchup with Pittsburgh. Jones would have a much better shot at playing in Pittsburgh if the game was held on Sunday, but the Chiefs could err on the side of caution and hold the star defensive tackle out on a short week.
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Chiefs' Jack Cochrane: Suffers broken ankle Saturday
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Cochrane suffered a broken ankle in Saturday's win over the Texans, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Cochrane was injured on a kickoff in the first quarter versus Houston, and he's now likely to miss the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old linebacker was a fixture on special teams for Kansas City, having logged 293 snaps for that unit prior to Saturday's contest. He played just nine defensive snaps this season. If his regular season is over, Cochrane finishes with five tackles (three solo).
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Dealing with strained calf
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Coach Andy Reid said Jones suffered a strained calf in Saturday's win over the Texans, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Jones was injured in the second half against Houston, and now Kansas City is once again on a short week ahead of Wednesday's Christmas Day matchup with the Steelers. Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel would be next up for snaps on the interior of the Chiefs' defensive line should Jones need to miss Week 17.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Hurts calf against Texans
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Jones (calf) is questionable to return to Saturday's game against the Texans.
Jones went down grabbing his calf in the second half. Prior to getting hurt, the star defensive tackle had two tackles and four quarterback hits. Jones has only 5.0 sacks this season, but he has drawn frequent double teams to free up Kansas City's other pass rushers to wreak havoc.
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Chiefs' Jack Cochrane: Hurts ankle, won't return Saturday
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Cochrane (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of Saturday's Week 16 matchup against Houston.
Cochrane was hurt during a Chiefs kick return in the first quarter, and he won't return to the contest. The linebacker has worked almost exclusively on special teams this year, as he entered Saturday with 292 snaps as part of that unit as opposed to just nine on defense.
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Chiefs' Leo Chenal: Able to play Week 16
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Chenal (illness) is not among Kansas City's inactives for Saturday's tilt against the Texans.
A late-week illness resulted in Chenal being given a questionable tag Friday, but the third-year pro will ultimately be able to suit up. Chenal logged a season-low 17 percent of the Chiefs' defensive snaps against Cleveland last Sunday, though he impressed with four tackles and a forced fumble in that limited amount of action. He's been impactful both on defense and special teams this season, but Chenal hasn't logged more than 45 percent of Kansas City's defensive snaps since Week 7 versus San Francisco.
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Chiefs' Leo Chenal: Questionable with pop-up illness
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Chenal (illness) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Texans, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Chenal was added to the injury report Friday with a recently occurring illness. The third-year linebacker has yet to miss a game this season, and the final decision on his status could be announced approximately 90 minutes prior to Saturday's kickoff.
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Chiefs' Chamarri Conner: Ruled out for Week 16
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Conner (concussion) did not practice Thursday and is ruled out for Saturday's game against the Texans.
Conner will predictably remain sidelined Saturday after having exited Kansas City's win over Cleveland in Week 15 due to a concussion. The 2023 fourth-round pick will need to gain full clearance from the concussion protocol, including from an independent neurologist, in order to retake the field Week 17 against the Steelers.
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Chiefs' Nick Bolton: Dominant in win
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Bolton logged five tackles (three solo), with 0.5 sacks, a pass deflection and an interception during Kansas City's win over the Browns on Sunday.
Bolton had an all-around dominant outing versus Cleveland as not only did he lead the team in tackles, but he also managed to record his first interception of the season. The 24-year-old will look to keep up his production during the Chiefs' upcoming Week 16 matchup versus the Texans.
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Chiefs' Bryan Cook: Snags pick in win
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Cook tallied three tackles (three solo), a pass deflection and an interception during the Chiefs' win over Cleveland on Sunday.
Cook was one of four different Kansas City defenders to record an interception during Sunday's victory. Throughout 14 games played this season, the 2022 second-round pick has amassed 67 tackles (48 solo) and two interceptions, both of which serve as new career highs for him.
