In an epic showdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, Kansas City Chiefs guard Nick Allegretti displayed remarkable grit as he secured his third championship ring. If there were a prize for resilience, Allegretti would undoubtedly be a frontrunner.
Allegretti recently disclosed that he played through a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) during the Chiefs’ 25-22 victory on Feb. 11, a feat made even more remarkable by his stellar performance despite the severe injury.
During an interview on The Jim Rome Show, Allegretti recounted sustaining the elbow injury towards the end of the second quarter while blocking 49ers’ pass-rusher Nick Bosa.
“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,” Allegretti said. Despite the adversity, he managed to gather himself during the two-minute warning and continued to play.
Stepping up in the postseason after All-Pro Joe Thuney’s injury, Allegretti played a pivotal role, logging 79 offensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII. Despite the torn ligament, he allowed just four pressures throughout the game and none in overtime.
Allegretti described the initial pain level as “probably in the six or seven [range],” which became more manageable after halftime when the Chiefs’ medical staff provided a brace for his arm.
Acknowledging his teammate’s encouragement, Allegretti shared, “One of our backup offensive lineman, he has a masters in biology and he wanted to go be a doctor when he was done. He told me, ‘Listen, you don’t need a UCL to play offensive line.’ I was like, ‘All right, I don’t know what that means, but I don’t need it. I’m good.’ So I was able to go.”
Allegretti’s valiant effort, alongside the Chiefs’ offensive line, contributed to Patrick Mahomes’s protection and ultimately secured a thrilling overtime victory. Amidst the narratives of Mahomes’s heroics and Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s redemption, Allegretti’s courageous battle through injury rightfully earns its place in the Chiefs’ dynasty folklore.
