Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was knocked from the game late in the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, suffering a non-contact injury.
Kelce limped off the field and into the locker room, after falling to the U.S. Bank Stadium artificial turf. As Pro Football Talk points out, the Vikings' playing surface is viewed as one of the worst in the league, according to current NFL players.
However, initial reaction to the injury is that Kelce avoided any sort of worst-case scenario.
"Looked like he rolled his ankle," FanBuzz Injury Analyst Will Caroll said. "I'd bet he's back after the half, but look for a big tape job."
Travis Kelce headed to the locker room after suffering this non-contact injury
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— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 8, 2023
Kelce was officially listed as 'questionable' to return to Sunday afternoon's game, due to what is being officially described as an ankle injury. But when Kansas City ran out of the locker room, Kelce was seen by multiple reporters on-site jogging back out of the tunnel after the halftime break.
Prior to getting hurt, Kelce had pulled down five of his six targets for 22 yards, despite cornerback Byron Murphy and the Vikings defense making it a point of emphasis to limit the All-Pro tight end's damage.
Kelce entered Sunday afternoon's contest with 17 receptions for 155 yards and a pair of touchdown receptions, through the season's first four weeks. As one of the more prolific weapons in quarterback Patrick Mahomes' supporting cast, the Chiefs are certainly hoping that Kelce is able to return not only in this game but escape missing any sort of significant time due to the injury.
Minnesota and Kansas City were tied at 13 at halftime.
