The Kansas City Chiefs took further damage to their already injury-hit pass-catching corps last Sunday when future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of the 22-6 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Although Kelce returned to the game and caught 4 passes for 53 yards, head coach Andy Reid noted that he had “tweaked” his ankle in post-game remarks.
With signs currently pointing broadly towards Kelce being good to go for the weekend, a small amount of doubt was sowed into his playing status for Sunday’s visit to reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, after the team’s injury report noted that he was “limited” in practice on Wednesday.
Kelce Limited in Practice on Wednesday Due to Ankle Injury
Two other members of the broader receiving corps showed up on the report on Oct. 21. Rashee Rice; who has missed the team’s past two outings with a hamstring injury; did not practice, whilst rookie Cyrus Allen practiced in full despite dealing with a knee problem.
Both starting offensive tackles, Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore, also did not practice due to a back/personal reasons and a concussion suffered last weekend.
Given that Kelce was able to return to the Week 6 win, and that Reid said he would be “OK” after the victory, even with limited participation on Wednesday, concern should not be too high in KC.
Reid noted that the 14 year-pro’s ankle would be “sore” the following day, but with it being enough of an issue to limit him three days after the fact is at least a small concern. Especially for a player who just turned 37 years of age earlier this month.
The Chiefs Cannot Afford to Lose Kelce to Injury
If Kelce misses time, the Chiefs will be really down to their bare bones in the passing offense, with two of the team’s top three receivers to start the year – Rice and Tyquan Thornton – currently unavailable.
Thornton is expected to miss most of – if not all of the rest of the regular season with a dislocated ankle sustained on a 55-yard reception in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins.
At this point in the week, speculation on Kelce’s playing status is very much just that. If he remains limited, or gets downgraded to not practicing over the next two days, the alarm bells will start to ring.
Travis Kelce Gets First Practice Update After Week 6 Ankle Injury