The Kansas City Chiefs begin their defense of last season’s Super Bowl title on Thursday night when they welcome the Detroit Lions to Arrowhead Stadium.
However, how that game unfolds between Kansas City and a trendy Lions team this preseason just took on an interesting wrinkle.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, tight end Travis Kelce is out for Thursday night’s opener against the Lions after hyperextending his knee earlier this week:
Previously: According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Kelce will be put through a workout on Thursday morning and is a true “game-time decision:”
Meeting with the media on Tuesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that stand-out tight end Travis Kelce “hyperextended” his knee in practice, and that his status for Thursday night’s game was now unclear:
ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered this update on Tuesday afternoon, relaying that the Chiefs believed that Kelce’s ACL was “intact:”
On Wednesday, Kelce was listed as “questionable” by the Chiefs, meaning there is a chance he still plays on Thursday night.
Kelce played in all 17 regular season games for the Chiefs a year ago, leading the team in both targets (152), receptions (110), and receiving yards (1,338). He was also a huge part of Kansas City’s run to the Super Bowl, as he caught 14 passes — on 17 targets — for 98 yards and a pair of touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win.
He also caught touchdowns in both the AFC Championship Game as well as the Super Bowl.
