Chiefs: Willie Gay’s injury just before Super Bowl is heartbreaking
By John Buhler
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay will not be able to play in the Super Bowl.
The banged-up Kansas City Chiefs will be down another key player in Super Bowl 55, as rookie linebacker Willie Gay underwent emergency surgery on Thursday to repair a torn meniscus.
Gay was not part of the Super Bowl 54 team a season ago, as he was playing in the SEC for Joe Moorhead’s Mississippi State Bulldogs. Kansas City used a second-round pick on the linebacker. He played in all 16 regular-season games for the Chiefs, making eight starts in his rookie season. The timing of said injury — in practice while preparing for the biggest game of his life — make this ailment even more heartbreaking.
The #Chiefs lost LB Willie Gay for the Super Bowl after he underwent surgery to repair his meniscus, source confirmed. A 4-month recovery, but he should be ready for 2021. https://t.co/EDoq7KwgBs
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2021
How sure are we the Chiefs will repeat as Super Bowl champions?
Kansas City has only lost one game it actually tried to compete in this season. The Chiefs are poised to be the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2003-04 New England Patriots. Though they are the presumptive favorite to do so, they are going up against the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady, whose Buccaneers will be playing a home game in Tampa.
Next. Nick Sirianni will not commit to an Eagles QB. dark
The biggest reason the Buccaneers were able to upset the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFC Championship game was that they could get relentless pressure on opposing quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They took advantage of offensive tackle David Bahktiari being out. With Kansas City potentially down both their starting tackles in Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, this could be a huge problem.
Gay will have to wait until next year at the earliest to play his his first career Super Bowl.