Joe Thuney sidelined for Super Bowl LVIII

Kansas City Chiefs lineman Joe Thuney was officially ruled out of Super Bowl LVIII due to a pectoral injury.

He missed the AFC Championship against the Ravens with the same injury, which he sustained a week prior against the Dolphins. Head Coach Andy Reid said it was “a long shot” that Thuney played on Sunday.

Thuney, a three-time Super Bowl winner, is one of KC’s best linemen. He was graded as the second-best interior offensive lineman in the NFL by ESPN before the season started:

“The second-team All-Pro led all linemen with a 98.9 pass block win rate. He has missed two games in seven seasons with Kansas City and New England, where he was also excellent. The Chiefs are loaded with offensive linemen, but Thuney is the most valuable because he rarely makes a mistake.”

The New England Patriots drafted Thuney in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He appeared in three straight Super Bowls from 2017-19, as the Pats won twice. Thuney joined the Chiefs in 2021, and won his third ring last year.

Nick Allegretti, a five-year veteran, will take Thuney’s place on KC’s O-line during the Big Game. The seventh-round pick has spent his entire career with the Chiefs, mainly as a backup.

“I take my lead from [Chiefs head coach Andy] Reid,” offensive line coach Andy Heck said. “He’s always preached ‘next man up.’ So, everybody reps the same in practice, everybody prepares the same. In this case, ‘Nick Allegretti, you’re the next man up. Let’s go. Just step in.’ There’s not a big production. He steps in, it’s a seamless operation.”