The Chiefs had to start the 2023 season without star tight end Travis Kelce in the lineup. It was the first time since 2014 that Kelce has missed time due to injury.
Despite Kelce's desire to play on Thursday, pre-game testing made it clear the knee injury he suffered during practice would limit him too much to risk it in Week 1
But the way the team has talked about not wanting to risk Kelce playing suggests his return should be relatively quick.
"They ultimately decided the smart decision was to hold him out tonight," Melissa Stark said on the NBC broadcast. "They do feel optimistic about his chances to play next week."
Travis Kelce injury update: Chiefs optimistic about TE playing in Week 2
Kelce hyperextended his knee during practice on Tuesday. The Thursday game just came up too quickly for him to get healed up enough to play.
The optimism for Week 2 seems well-founded.
The Chiefs will travel to take on the Jaguars on Sept. 17. That's more than a week for Kelce's knee to rest and heal.
Kelce has had 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last seven seasons. He's been a Pro Bowler in each of the last eight. Kansas City wants him leading their passing attack as Patrick Mahomes' favorite weapon.
At the same time, it's a long season and having Kelce fully healthy in crunch time is what's most important. It wasn't worth the risk to play Kelce in Week 1 and the Chiefs may want to take a conservative approach in Week 2 if they think they can get away with it.
A win in Week 1 would go a long way to setting up that kind of luxury, but Kelce himself may not stand for it.
