The Kansas City Chiefs go on the road to face the Denver Broncos in their final game of the regular season. However, after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Christmas Day, the Chiefs officially clinched the No. 1 seed, securing home field advantage and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
With nothing to play for in Week 18, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is expected to rest most of the team’s starters. Reid already ruled out quarterback Patrick Mahomes, officially naming backup Carson Wentz as the team’s starter.
“I mentioned to you that Pat’s not playing, then we’ll just kind of see where things go from there,” Reid told reporters on Friday morning.
A few hour laters, however, the Chiefs revealed a major update on several key starters’ status in Week 18, including tight end Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs announced that Kelce is “doubtful” against the Broncos on Sunday. And even though it’s already been established that the Chiefs’ starting quarterback won’t suit up, the official injury report also listed Mahomes as “doubtful”
Therefore, it’s safe to assume Kelce will not play in Week 18. The same goes for Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, Nick Bolton, Kareem Hunt, George Karlaftis, Justin Reid, and Drue Tranquill, all of whom were also listed as “doubtful.” Isiah Pacheco, Jawaan Taylor, Mecole Hardman, and Jaylen Watson are also out.
An NFL Christmas Gameday gift: Travis Kelce now has the most TD catches in Chiefs history 🤲 #NFLonNetflix pic.twitter.com/0LKwNkFqEQ
— Netflix (@netflix) December 25, 2024
The decision to rest Kelce doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The 35-year-old veteran made the same decision last year despite being just 16 yards shy of recording his eighth consecutive season with 1,000 yards. While fans were sad to see the 10-time Pro Bowler’s streak come to an end, that extra week of rest paid off.
During the Chiefs journey to becoming back-to-back Super Bowl champions, Kelce registered 32 receptions for 355 yards and three touchdowns. If the four-time First Team All-Pro can replicated those numbers during this year’s playoffs, the Chiefs might become the first team in NFL
