The first game of the 2023 NFL regular season will be played today between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. However, just two days before the season opener, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce suffered a knee injury.
The 33-year-old had a knee injury during a practice session and the team was somewhat relaxed thinking it wouldn’t be that serious. But his recent injury update has made it uncertain whether the tight end will be available to play in the season opener or not.
Travis Kelce’s injury update
According to the most recent injury update of Travis Kelce, the reigning Super Bowl champions will have to play in the first game of this season without one of their most important players.
On Tuesday, during the practice session, head coach Andy Reid shared that the TE hyperextended his knee. Following the incident, Kelce didn’t appear in the practice session on Wednesday.
Tests conducted on Kelce’s knee indicate that his ACL is intact, suggesting it’s not a long-term injury but still the Chiefs have listed Travis Kelce questionable for Week 1.
The #Chiefs plan to put star TE Travis Kelce through a workout this morning to test his injured knee, per source.
Just two days after hyperextending the knee and suffering a bone bruise in practice, Kelce is a true game-day decision for tonight’s opener vs. the #Lions.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 7, 2023
Travis Kelce will perform workouts to check his knee condition and that will decide whether he’ll be allowed to play.
After the injury news, Jason Kelce, brother of Travis stated that Travis might still have a chance to play with a bone bruise if they can manage the swelling.
“Travis, this was out on the field, and I know he’s got some swelling going on, but it sounds like as long as they can get that down, he’s going to have a chance to go [play].”
Jason said that his ligaments and overall knee is fine. They are just waiting for the swelling to get down.
“The ligaments and everything are intact structurally from what we know right now. His knee is fine. It’s about getting the swelling down and then seeing how bruised the bone is because… they can be pretty painful if it’s in a spot that’s rubbing all the time… I think he’s going to be good to go. I really do.”
His words gave some hope to the fans but now that the Chiefs have listed him as questionable. There are still chances that Kelce will be able to play in the first game against the Lions.
Chiefs in danger of losing against Lions
Now that one of the most important players of the Chiefs is injured and out of the game, the chances of the Chiefs winning their season opener have been cut short.
Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the league and hasn’t missed a game due to injury since his rookie season in 2013. Last season, he became the first TE in NFL history to lead the Super Bowl victors in receiving yards twice, recording six receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Besides Kelce, another important player of the Chiefs might not play in the season opener. Chris Jones, the DT, has some contract issues with the team. He is asking for a higher salary which the Chiefs aren’t willing to negotiate.
Jones shared that he wants to continue playing with the Chiefs only if his contract situation gets resolved.
“I can’t really talk about it. Hopefully, it gets worked out. It’s always been my goal to be a Kansas City Chief for life. I’ve said that multiple times on social media platforms, from interviews, and they know where my position is at. Hopefully, we can get something worked out for the long term, the DT said.
Despite ongoing negotiations, there hasn’t been an agreement, putting his start of the NFL season at risk. With Travis Kelce injured and Chris Jones still missing due to a contract dispute, the Chiefs might face tough challenges in their first game against the Lions.
