Chiefs-Packers inactives: Saunders won’t play; Bortles to back up Jordan Love

Kansas City and Green Bay have released their lists of inactive players for Sunday’s game.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released their list of inactive players for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium. Tackle Mike Remmers (knee) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (knee) will not dress for the matchup.

In Friday’s final injury report for the game, Remmers had already been declared out. Saunders had been listed as questionable, but had been a full participant in all of Kansas City’s practices this week.

With Remmers out, second-year rookie Lucas Niang will get his second start at right tackle in as many weeks. Saunders will be missing his second consecutive game. But starting MIKE linebacker Anthony Hitchens — who has missed the last two games with a tricep injury — will be back in the lineup.

Edge rusher Melvin Ingram will also be active for the game. Ingram joined the team in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this week. But new tight end Daniel Brown — acquired in this week’s trade that sent reserve offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the New York Jets — will not be active.

Nine other players on the active roster were among Chiefs listed in the Week 9 injury reports, but all of them practiced fully on Friday; the rest of Kansas City’s inactive players should be considered healthy scratches.

The Packers have also released their list of inactives for the game. The biggest unavailable player is quarterback Aaron Rodgers — but since he was placed on the team’s Reserve/COVID list on Wednesday, he is not on the active roster and doesn’t appear on the list of inactive players. As expected, defensive lineman Kingsley Keke (concussion) will miss the game — but defensive lineman Dean Lowry (hamstring) and Dennis Kelly (back) will be active.

Keke had been listed as out on Friday, while Lowry and Kelly had been declared questionable.

On Saturday, the Packers elevated practice-squad quarterback Blake Bortles to the active roster as a COVID replacement. After the game, he will automatically be returned to the team’s practice squad. The Packers also activated wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling from their Reserve/Injured list. Both players are active for Sunday’s game.