The Kansas City Chiefs finally stopped their losing streak with their first win in three games in Week 12, but that was just the start of the long climb ahead of them to reclaim a playoff spot. Four days after edging the Indianapolis Colts, the Chiefs now take to the road to try to build some momentum against the Dallas Cowboys.
Before the game gets underway, some intriguing storylines are already developing with a look at the Chiefs' inactive list.
Trey Smith is MIA
The Chiefs knew this would be the case going into the game after reports had Smith struggling with multiple ankle injuries earlier in the week. Smith would likely be out even if the week were longer, but having only a few days between games made the decision fairly obvious for the Chiefs to go with Mike Caliendo at right guard instead of Smith.
While it hurts to be without the team's Pro Bowl mauler up front, the truth is that Smith's health has been hit-and-miss in the last few weeks, even with the bye. Back spasms forced him out of a game in Week 8, and he sat out the team's loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. It's easy to talk about getting Smith healthy for the stretch run, but the Chiefs are usually in pole position for the postseason at this stage of the season. This injury hurts the most.
Playing it safe with Noah Gray
The Chiefs announced that Noah Gray was in the league's concussion protocol, so this is another obvious entry on the team's inactive list. Gray will be missed as an oft-used TE2, but the Chiefs have Travis Kelce to carry the load at the position, and Robert Tonyan has been underutilized compared to projections coming into the season. Perhaps he gets his first real looks of the year after a sensational preseason for the Chiefs. It's also notable that Jared Wiley is healthy and active.
Chris Roland-Wallace will be missed
This is another injury that really hurts the Chiefs' secondary. Roland-Wallace has been coming on strong as the season has progressed, turning into a trusted playmaker who can be utilized in multiple roles. The more versatile a defender can be for Steve Spagnuolo, the more the Chiefs coordinator will find a way to use him. Now the Chiefs will rely heavily on second-year safety Jaden Hicks and hope that injuries don't further deplete the unit.
Esa Pole excitement for naught
The Chiefs made the intriguing decision to promote Pole to the active roster from the practice squad before the game, which made it seem like the preseason fan favorite might be climbing the depth chart. After all, Wanya Morris was inactive a week ago, signaling that he might be falling at the same time Pole is trending upward. However, here we see Pole as inactive after all.
Fulton and Mitchell out again
It was a familiar sight to see Kristian Fulton and Elijah Mitchell on inactive lists for the majority of the Chiefs' season so far, despite the fact that both free agents were signed to be far more involved (especially Fulton). After the bye in Week 10, the Chiefs finally started to open the door to more playing time, but now the horses are back in the gate after being let out. That's an odd choice to see Fulton sidelined, considering the secondary is in need. As for Mitchell, Isiah Pacheco's return from injury made this move obvious.
Here's the full list of Kansas City Chiefs inactives for Week 13:
Kristian Fulton, CB
Noah Gray, TE
Elijah Mitchell, RB
Esa Pole, OT
Chris Roland-Wallace, DB
Jalen Royals, WR
Trey Smith, OL
Here are the inactive players for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13:
Jaydon Blue, RB
Caelen Carson, CB
Tyler Guyton, OT
Jonathan Mingo, WR
Jay Toia, DL
Perrion Winfrey, DL