Chiefs TE Travis Kelce believed to have avoided long-term knee injury; status in doubt for kickoff game vs. Lions

Another important player from the Kansas City Chiefs might not be able to play in their first game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

One of their key players, Travis Kelce, hurt his knee during practice. The head coach, Andy Reid, told the media about it on Tuesday. Some NFL experts, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, think that Travis Kelce's knee injury might not be very serious, but it's not clear if he can play on Thursday. They say that once the swelling in Kelce's knee goes down, we'll know better if he can play in Week 1.

In Tuesday's practice, Kelce could only do limited activities.

It's a big deal if Kelce can't play because he hasn't missed a game because of an injury since 2013. He's a vital part of the team, and he did really well in 2022. He caught the ball 110 times (the third-most in the NFL), gained 1,338 yards (the eighth-most), and scored 12 touchdowns (the second-most). Since Patrick Mahomes became the quarterback in 2018, Kelce has been his favorite target. They've connected for 493 catches and 6,298 receiving yards, which is more than any other QB and receiver duo. Kelce has been so good that he made it to the Pro Bowl for eight years in a row, and he led the Chiefs in catches for six of the last seven seasons.

If Kelce can't play, Noah Gray and Blake Bell will likely take his place as tight ends.

Before this injury, there were already questions about the Chiefs' wide receivers. They were hoping that young players like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore could step up. But they knew they could rely on Kelce as a safety net for Patrick Mahomes.

Now, just two days before the first game of the 2023 season, we're not sure if Kelce can play or not.

And to make things more uncertain, there's still an issue with Chris Jones, another star player on the team. So, the Chiefs might be without two of their biggest stars on Thursday.