Travis Kelce was listed as questionable to return with the ankle injury in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 10 game against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Kansas City Star reporter Pete Sweeney.
Kelce left the field in pain Sunday after his right ankle twisted on a reception, aggravating an injury that has trailed him since October.
The Chiefs had issued no official update on Kelce’s condition, beyond the “questionable” designation. That leaves the worrying question of whether Sunday’s twist is a brief scare or a serious setback to an ankle the team has monitored for four weeks.
After attempting to re-enter the game, Kelce was seen limping off the field again. He was then led to the locker room by trainers for further evaluation.
Atlanta hosted the Chiefs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a 1 p.m. EST kickoff on CBS. Kelce was slow to get up after the tackle and went to the sideline in pain, according to NFL Network‘s James Palmer.
He was walking on his own after the play, according to ESPN‘s Nate Taylor. Early reaction on social media, including a post from RotoBaller, speculated about whether he would return.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Ankle Injury Began in Week 6
The trouble started Oct. 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers. On the Chiefs’ opening drive, Kelce caught a screen pass and went down when linebacker Daiyan Henley tackled him, his right ankle rolling underneath him in a hit some observers called a hip-drop.
Kelce limped off, had the ankle examined and taped on the sideline, and went back in. Former NFL team doctor David Chao reviewed video of the play and assessed it as a “mild right high eversion ankle sprain,” he wrote on X. Chao’s read came from video alone and held that Kelce could be taped and sent back into the game, which is what happened.
Kelce finished with 53 receiving yards in the 22-6 win, which kept Kansas City unbeaten. “Kelce tweaked his ankle there. Continued to play, might be a little sore tomorrow, but he did a nice job tonight,” Reid said afterward, according to RG.org.
He has not missed a game since. Practice participation has varied, with limited work on some Wednesdays and Thursdays and full work later in the week.
At 37 and in his 14th NFL season, Kelce caught four passes for 44 yards in a 20-3 Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Chiefs’ first defeat of the season, reaching 1,104 career receptions, fifth in NFL history.
He looked slightly hobbled in the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos, according to NBC Sports, but he never missed a meaningful number of snaps and turned in five catches on seven targets.
Ahead of the Week 9 game against the New York Jets, Kelce was upgraded to full participant on Thursday, along with receivers Rashee Rice and Nikko Remigio, according to The Kansas City Star‘s Pete Sweeney.
Kansas City Chiefs Await Travis Kelce Ankle Update
Kelce entered Sunday in good standing on paper. The Chiefs listed him as a full participant in all three practices before the Falcons game, and he carried no game-status designation. He was one of 11 Chiefs on Wednesday’s report, a list that also included quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was a full participant with knee and right elbow issues.
From Week 7 through Week 9, the ankle has stayed on the injury report, and Week 10 listed it again.
That makes Sunday’s twist a new event on an old problem. It was the same right ankle that Kelce hurt against the Chargers, and it sent him to the sideline for the second time this season.
Nothing official has surfaced on whether Kelce received treatment, underwent imaging or went back into the game. Coach Andy Reid typically addresses injuries in his postgame news conference, and the Chiefs’ next injury report will show whether Kelce practices this week.
Four weeks after the first twist, the same ankle has taken another one. The Chiefs await word on how bad this one is.
Chiefs Travis Kelce Suffers Ankle Injury, Followed by Worrying Update on TE