‘Heard a pop’… Chiefs star says he suffered painful injury in Super Bowl win

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Rightly, the focus of the victory at Super Bowl LVIII was on Patrick Mahomes leading the franchise to another ring at just 28 years old… but there is an unsung hero.

Andy Reid and Mahomes have led the Kansas City Chiefs to four Super Bowl appearances in five years, winning three rings in the process.

Over two weeks on from the infamous victory, eye-opening information regarding one of the Chiefs’ backup offensive linemen has surfaced.

Offensive lineman, Nick Allegretti, played only 79 snaps during the regular season.

Amazingly, the 27-year-old registered 79 snaps during the Super Bowl final to help his team overcome the San Francisco 49ers.

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Nick Allegretti injury

His heroism does not stop there. Most of Nick Allegretti’s snaps were played with a torn UCL.

In the second quarter, a tackle from Nick Bosa caused the painful injury. If the offensive guard was unable to continue, the Chiefs would have had to turn to a third string lineman.

They were not forced to resort to this, as Allegretti battled through the pain on the biggest stage.

Anything for the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title.

When speaking on The Jim Rome Show, the guard said: “I haven’t suffered an injury like that until then.

“I immediately knew. It was something that you heard a pop, you felt it, and knowing minimal about anatomy knew that something was wrong in my elbow. Because my elbow is not supposed to bend that way.

“Fortunately, we had the two-minute warning, and I had a couple seconds to gather myself, figure out that my arm still bent and I was able to go.

“It was a tough situation, but fortunate enough I was able to still play.”

From backup to starter

The three-time Super Bowl champion was forced into the starting line-up when Joe Thuney suffered a pectoral injury against the Buffalo Bills.

Allegretti rose to the occasion against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship clash – playing every snap.

Thuney had been one of the best offensive linemen in the league, so much so, that he was awarded First-Team All-Pro honors.

Allegretti admitted the pressure he felt having to replace a player of Thuney’s skill: “Stepping in for a guy like Joe, first of all, it’s a challenge.

“He’s been one of the best guards in the league for the past five years. I took that upon myself to step in and make sure that there was no drop-off.”

It was a challenge but the Illinois native did not shy away.

One of the greatest unspoken success stories in Super Bowl history belongs to Nick Allegretti.