The Kansas City Chiefs held their last full practice before facing the San Francisco 49ers on the NFL’s biggest stage on Sunday.
The two teams will meet in Las Vegas in a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl, with each side looking to bring the celebrations to America’s party capital.
It’s been a long week of preparation for both teams and Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and company now hope to have done everything they can to lift the Lombardi Trophy this weekend as they completed their final training session before the big day.
The reigning Super Bowl champions reportedly worked on red zone, short yardage and goal line plays in a 66-minute session on Friday.
The team will have a simulated game on Saturday, then take a team photo and return to their hotel 30 minutes from Allegiant Stadium.
The Chiefs held their last full practice before facing the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes warms up during his team’s final session.
Tight end Kelce high-fives defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. as they wrap up their preparations
Head coach Andy Reid said the team does not plan to change hotels Saturday night, as some teams have done to eliminate any late distractions.
“We’ve done everything we needed to do,” Reid told NBC’s Peter King. ‘They have done a good job. They have focused on it. I can see it every day. That’s your makeup, whether things are going well or not.
‘It starts with Pat (Mahomes) and (Travis) Kelce and Chris Jones and (cornerback L’Jarius) Sneed. “The players have made the most of what we have given them as coaches and have done a good job here.”
The Chiefs ruled out All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney for the Super Bowl against the Niners on Sunday due to a pectoral injury.
However, wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire appear ready to go.
Rice participated fully in Friday’s practice after being stepped on near the end of practice the previous day, while Edwards-Helaire also went through a full practice after dealing with an illness earlier in the week.
The only player the Chiefs listed as questionable on the final injury report was running back Jerick McKinnon, who remains on injured reserve after surgery in January on a core muscle injury. The Chiefs have until Saturday afternoon to add him to the active Super Bowl roster, although Reid described his chances of playing as “slim” earlier in the week.
Chiefs coach Reid insisted all week that he wasn’t ruling out Thuney, until the end of a 66-minute workout Friday at the AFC West rival Raiders’ practice facility. But since Thuney hadn’t practiced since before getting hurt in the divisional round in Buffalo, it had become increasingly clear that Allegretti would start in his place.
The signal-caller makes his final passes before arriving on the NFL’s biggest stage on Sunday.
The Chiefs reportedly worked on red zone, short yardage and goal line plays in 60 minutes.
Long-standing backup has done this before. Allegretti also started in the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay in 2021 due to injuries.
“Next man mentality,” Chiefs right guard Trey Smith said. ‘Nick is a consummate professional. He will be ready to go. He has done a great job these last few weeks of preparation. Our coaches will have us prepared and Nick will do very well.”
The Chiefs suffered a scare near the end of practice Thursday when Rice was accidentally stepped on and limped off the field. The rookie wide receiver has become one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite targets, catching 20 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown in three playoff games while helping to divert some of the attention away from tight end Travis Kelce.
Edwards-Helaire was inactive during last year’s Super Bowl despite being declared healthy following a sprained ankle.
“This is what you’ve always worked for since you were a kid,” said Edwards-Helaire, a former first-round pick who lost his job to Isiah Pacheco last season and will be a free agent after this season. “And it’s always hard to get to that place, but obviously we can do the things we needed to do to get back.”
Meanwhile, the 49ers also held their final training session as they look to get revenge on the Chiefs on Sunday.
Brock Purdy and company are said to have put together a 68-minute drive on Friday that emphasized red zone work.
The 49ers are healthy heading into the game and no one on the active roster is listed with an injury designation.
The 49ers also held their final training session on Friday as they seek revenge.
Brock Purdy and company did a 68-minute tour that emphasized work in the red zone
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa runs alongside his teammates before the faceoff
San Francisco fans gathered outside the training facility to support their players.
“The guys have worked hard these two weeks,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “The guys that have been hit, they have done everything they can to be healthy for this game. It is the first time that we are all full and healthy. It is the right game to have it like this.”
Backup defensive tackle Kalia Davis, who is currently on injured reserve but has practiced this week, was listed as questionable for San Francisco with an ankle injury. Davis is not expected to be activated Saturday to play in the game.
Meanwhile, Chiefs star Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, will be going through her final rehearsal before the big game.
The pop star will perform the final show of her Eras Tour in Tokyo, Japan, before returning to Las Vegas to cheer on her boyfriend.
The 17-hour time difference between the Japanese capital and Sin City helps the singer, meaning she should be able to arrive in plenty of time.
Swift is due to take the stage for her final night in Tokyo at 8pm on Saturday, February 10. That’s at 3 am the same day in Las Vegas.
If your show lasts the usual three and a half hours, you should leave the stage around 11:30 p.m. It’s 6:30 am in Las Vegas.
The last time she performed in Japan, in 2015, Swift brought Narita Airport to a standstill when she was practically run over by her fans.
Chiefs star Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift will go through her own final journey
The pop star will perform the final show of her Eras Tour stop in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday.
Nowadays its security is much stricter, and its parade of cars usually has a police escort to speed it from A to B.
It’s a 40-minute drive from Tokyo Dome to Narita for mere mortals, but Swift doesn’t need to worry about stop signs or traffic lights.
Similarly, flying private means you don’t have to worry about pesky TSA security, so with the wind at your back, Swift could board your plane around 1 a.m. local time, 8 a.m. Vegas.
After an approximately 13-hour flight, Swift could land at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 9 p.m. on Saturday, February 10.