It looks like Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs fans can both look forward to seeing Travis Kelce play against the Denver Broncos on Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Kelce is “expected” to play and will do so with his ankle “heavily” taped.
After the All-Pro tight end tweaked it in the Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings, there were questions about his availability on a short week. Even though Kelce was able to return to the game and scored the final touchdown for Kansas City, he was a limited participant in the team’s only practice of the week on Tuesday.
Kelce slipped on Minnesota’s turf and went down after he rolled his ankle on a non-contact play.
“Seeing how the ankle rolled, and then being able to come back out there and … score a touchdown that we needed,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said, “it speaks to … the talent … the toughness that he has, and the reason that he’s been out there week in and week out. He will battle through anything to go out there and play.”
Jason Kelce, Travis’ older brother and the Philadelphia Eagles’ center, decried the usage of turf fields. Several other notable players have been injured on the surface this season, and Jason called for the NFL to return to grass to help improve players’ safety — a sentiment that others have publicly shared.
The only game the Chiefs lost this season — a 21-20 defeat in the season opener to the Detroit Lions — happened when Kelce was sidelined with a knee injury. Since he returned in Week 2, Kelce’s 27 receptions, 222 receiving yards and three touchdowns lead the team in each category.