Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sprained his right ankle near the end of the first half against Minnesota but returned in the second half to help spark Kanas City to a 27-20 win over the Vikings.
“He was hurting,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the game. “He’ll be a little sore but he’s a pretty tough kid. I wasn’t sure where we were going at halftime. He loves to play, the kid.”
Kelce is believed to have suffered an inversion sprain, or a low-ankle sprain, but it is not believed to be a long-term injury. Lower-grade inversion sprains typically have a recovery time of one to six weeks, although players can routinely play through the recovery process.
The injury occurred with just more than 1:21 remaining in the second quarter. Kelce caught a short pass from Patrick Mahomes and appeared to slip as he turned to run upfield. Going down to the turf with a non-contact injury sent a chill through the Chiefs faithful at first, but Kelce was able to walk to the sideline with a noticeable limp. He slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration, and later left the field early before Harrison Butker connected on a 40-yard field goal to end the half, knotting the game at 13-13.
Mahomes jokes after the game that he didn’t talk to Kelce at halftime — “when he’s hurting because he’s a mean guy.”
“They’re looking at it stuff like that but I knew, obviously it hurts, but if Travis is out of the game it hurts,” Mahomes said. “But I knew he was trying to get back in. I feel like Travis has the same mindset as I do. You give him a window of like he can get back in the game, he’s going to be back in the game.”
X-rays on Kelce’s ankle at halftime were negative, and athletic trainers taped Kelce’s right ankle. Reid said he wasn’t certain Kelce would return to the game until the tight end approached him on the field just before the start of the second half.
“He said, ‘Just give me a minute, I’m going to get this thing right,'” Reid said. “So he did a bunch of drills on his own there just working with it. Our training staff was working with him during halftime and (vice president of sports medicine and performance) Rick (Burkholder) does a great job. He’s pretty amazing.”
Kelce remained on the sidelines during the team’s opening drive of the second half. Mahomes led the offense on an 11-play, 75-yard drive comprising 4:50 capped off with an 8-yard touchdown strike to Rashee Rice. Kelce started running onto the field during the drive but came back to the sideline each time.
“We were rotating him in and out, yeah, just trying to make sure he was good,” Reid said. “He’s pretty convincing. So I just want to make sure.”
Kelce returned for the team’s second drive, hauling in five passes for 45 yards including a 4-yard touchdown reception finishing the drive. Mahomes called Kelce a competitor for his second-half performance.
“That why he’s one of the greatest is that he also battled through stuff like that and came back and made a lot of great catches for us,” Mahomes said.
One of those catches was a highlight reel play on third-and-8 from the Minnesota 15-yard line. Mahomes faked a screen pass to Kelce on the left side, which was intended to allow receiver Kadarius Toney to slip downfield. When the cornerback followed Toney instead, Mahomes and Kelce improvised.
“I pumped and the corner fell off and I stepped up in the pocket,” Mahomes said. “Travis is supposed to be on the sideline and luckily he was running across the field. I have those moments where I’m like, I’m about to get crushed, and then I look over and 87 is just running free. He’s been with me a long time and knows how to get himself open whenever he gets an opportunity.”
Kelce finished the game with 10 catches for 67 yards. He left the field after the contest pointing to his chest and saying, “All heart, baby,” to Chiefs fans in the stands. He handed some of his
Now the Chiefs will play the waiting game with their superstar tight end before determining his availability for Thursday night’s game against Denver. The team will not practice Monday but will issue an estimated injury report. The club’s only practice is on Tuesday, and the injury report with game-day designations will be filed on Wednesday.
But the Chiefs may not know Kelce’s availability until he tests out his injured ankle before the game on Thursday night.
