With the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions kicking off the NFL season on Thursday, the reigning Super Bowl champions could be without one of their top playmakers after Travis Kelce suffered an injury in practice.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that Kelce hyper-extended his knee during practice just days before the game, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. While it sounds like Kelce may have avoided a serious injury, his status for Week 1 is now up in the air.
Although the Chiefs haven't prioritized finding premium wide receivers outside of Tyreek Hill, Kelce has taken a huge burden off of the Patrick Mahomes and the passing game. Since coming into the NFL back in 2013, Kelce has been the most productive tight end in the NFL, racking up over 10,000 receiving yards and 69 touchdowns to go along with two Super Bowl rings, seven All-Pro selections, and eight Pro Bowl appearances.
Even at 33 years old, Kelce has continued to look like the most dominant tight end in football. He started and played in al 17 regular season games last year, catching 110 passes for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading all tight ends in every category.
Without Kelce, the Chiefs will potentially have to rely on other playmakers to step up if the All-Pro tight end can't play. Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would need to take on much bigger roles for the Chiefs, while backup tight end Noah Gray would have massive shoes to fill.
There's still a chance that Kelce is able to suit up on Thursday night against the Lions, but based on what Reid shared with reporters after practice, it would take a lot for the 33-year-old tight end to come back from something like this in just a couple of days.
