Chiefs news: Even Taylor Swift will smile about reason behind expected absence of Patrick Mahomes weapon

The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense will remain shorthanded against the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been ruled out with a hip injury and personal reasons.

Now we know what the Chiefs wide receiver’s personal reasons are for missing the game, according to James Palmer of NFL Network:

“Kadarius Toney had his first child tonight. A baby girl. That’s where the personal part of his designation came from. He’s also dealing with a hip injury that is keeping him out tomorrow.”

This will be the sixth consecutive game that Toney will miss for the Chiefs, placing more burden on guys like Mecole Hardman Jr. and Justin Watson to step up on the road. There was hope the Super Bowl 57 hero could return for Sunday’s pivotal contest since he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, but he was downgraded on Thursday.

The birth of Toney’s baby daughter solidified that he will miss the Chiefs’ sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance.

Although the drops are well-documented and he is polarizing among fans, the 2021 first-round pick is another weapon that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs could have potentially utilized versus a defense that allowed the sixth fewest passing yards per game during the regular season.

The Chiefs won’t only be missing Toney. Second-year wide receiver Skyy Moore, who has also been sidelined for more than a month, is out for the AFC title game with a knee injury despite being activated from the Injured Reserve last week. The biggest blow of all, however, is the absence of All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney.