KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs’ final injury report each week generally hits the Internet like clockwork. This week wasn’t a normal week.

Injuries have transformed Kansas City’s offensive line into an ugly Christmas sweater. As a result, the team used its extra time on Friday to determine whether guard Trey Smith (ankle) and tackle Jawaan Taylor (triceps, knee) could realistically play.

Official status designations

Officially, the Chiefs designated each player as doubtful against Houston and the league’s No. 1 defense on Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC/KSHB-TV, Channel 41, 96.5 The Fan). And if neither can go, three-fifths of the team’s Week 1 starters on the offensive line won’t play.

That means, as he did last week, Mike Caliendo is expected to replace Smith at right guard. And Wanya Morris could replace Josh Simmons at left tackle and Jaylon Moore could replace Taylor at right tackle – as they did over the final 18 minutes in last week’s loss at Dallas.

Or will they?

Head coach Andy Reid said after practice Friday that he essentially has an ambidextrous option in filling out his lineup card.

“They’ve actually worked both sides,” Reid said Friday. “So, you know, we’ll just make that decision when we get there.”

Watch Andy Reid Discuss Below

Neither Smith nor Taylor practiced all week, including Friday. Asked about the chances of either player actually playing against that Houston defense without a practice, Reid said “it’s been done before.”

But the venerable head coach doesn’t play games, either, and the Chiefs don’t want to incur a Baltimore-like fine from the league. Reid said either player making the game is probably a stretch, noting that Smith is a bit farther along than Taylor.

“So, if the other guys play, they play,” Reid said. “We have trust in everybody there.”

The scope of that trust bleeds into special teams, too. Just three weeks ago in the loss at Denver, the Chiefs temporarily lost left guard Kingsley Suamataia to injury. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub had to shuffle his line on the field-goal team and the Broncos wound up blocking a Harrison Butker point-after attempt.

That miss was crucial because Denver had the ball last and knew all it needed was a field goal, rather than a touchdown.

“The hardest ones are during the game,” Toub said Thursday, “when those guys go down and you got a guy that’s coming in and doesn’t have practice. Right now, we’re kind of anticipating, and we’re working guys in there as far as their footwork and stuff like that. So, if they don’t go, we have other guys in there that have gotten practice. So that helps, but it is a factor for us on field goal.”

Another key loss for both Toub on special teams and Steve Spagnuolo on defense is cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace, out for a second straight week with a back injury. The Chiefs missed him badly last week at Dallas.

Toub also will need to replace return man Nikko Remigio, who surprisingly was ruled out Friday with a shoulder injury. Remigio, who’s returned every punt for the Chiefs this year, was a full participant at practice Wednesday and Thursday, and limited Friday.

While Toub should be in good shape with Tyquan Thornton and Brashard Smith on kickoffs, replacing Remigio on punts won’t be as easy. Remigio has returned every punt for Kansas City since Dec. 8, 2024.

The team’s official depth chart lists Thornton as the backup punt returner. However, Thornton has never returned a punt, either in the NFL or in college at Baylor.