It’s official. The Kansas City Chiefs will be without one of their star players on Thursday night when they open the season in a highly-anticipated showdown against the Detroit Lions. This is after Travis Kelce was officially ruled out due to injury just hours before kickoff due to a knee injury.
Kansas City Chiefs Rule Out Travis Kelce Vs. Lions
NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the unfortunate news on Twitter:
“BREAKING: Travis Kelce is OUT for tonight’s season opener vs the #Lions, per sources,” Schultz wrote in his report.
Schultz also noted that Kelce himself “made a strong push to play after this morning’s workout.” However, the team decided that they did not want to take any risks considering how this is just the first game of the season.
Kelce entered the game with a questionable tag due to a lingering knee problem. There was some optimism surrounding his availability heading into Thursday, but ultimately, the Chiefs have opted to take a prudent approach with their star.
It is worth noting that Chris Jones also won’t be available against Detroit as he continues to hold out amid his contract dispute with the team.
Travis Kelce Expected to Return in Week 2 Vs. Jaguars
The silver lining for Chiefs fans here is that the injury does not sound too concerning. It’s serious enough to force Kelce out of their first game of the campaign, but the good news is that he could return to action soon.
According to Michael David Smith of PFT, this could come as early as next week:
“A league source tells PFT that Kelce and the Chiefs are hopeful that he’ll be good to go for Week Two at Jacksonville,” Smith wrote.
There is reportedly no structural damage in Kelce’s knee and the swelling has gone down. Kansas City is clearly erring on the side of caution here, which is why they have decided to just give Kelce the night off against the Lions. He should be back in action sooner rather than later.
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