The Kansas City Chiefs will have star defensive tackle Chris Jones on the field Sunday for their AFC Championship matchup with the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead after he missed the divisional round due to a calf injury. Jones was ruled active by the Chiefs when the inactive report came out and is expected to play in a limited role for Kansas City.
Jones was a non-participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he did get on the field in a limited capacity on Friday. He tested the calf hours before the game to make sure he could play.
Jones' return bodes well for Kansas City as he's one of the Chiefs' better defensive players, particularly at stopping the run. As a team, they were the 26th-ranked run defense in the NFL and now have a date with star Titans running back Derrick Henry, who has racked up 377 yards rushing and a touchdown over the previous two games.
"It's day to day," Jones told reporters following practice, via NFL.com. "It's not really the magnitude of the game because if I can [I'll] play. If I can't then it's unfortunate. But it could be a regular-season game, playoff game, a preseason game, if I can play [I'll] play."
Along with Jones, running back LeSean McCoy (illness) and backup quarterback Matt Moore (illness) have been ruled out Sunday. Both players returned to practice on Friday on a limited basis. One piece of good news for Kansas City is that star tight end Travis Kelce carries no injury designation heading into the AFC Championship Game, despite being a limited participant in practice all week with a knee injury.
Here's the complete list of inactives for the Chiefs: QB Matt Moore, CB Morris Claiborne, RB LeSean McCoy, LB Darron Lee, OL Ryan Hunter, OL Jackson Barton, OL Andrew Wylie.
And here's the complete list of inactives for the Titans: WR Rashard Davis, WR Darius Jennings, WR Cody Hollister, OL Kevin Pamphile, LB Reggie Gilbert, DL Isaiah Mack, DL Joey Ivie.