The Kansas City Chiefs will be without superstar tight end for their season opener against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Kelce will miss Thursday’s game with a hyper-extended knee and bone bruise. The future Hall of Famer suffered the injury during Tuesday’s practice session.
The positive bit here is that Kelce avoided a long-term injury. The fact he was only ruled out hours before Thursday’s game is a strong indicator that he’ll be able to suit up for the club’s Week 2 road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 10 days.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old has been remarkably durable throughout his playing career, having not missed a game to injury since his rookie 2013 season, as pointed out by Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
Kelce has played no fewer than 15 games every year since 2014, and he’s played a full season six times. Now, Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs must find a way to get by without their top offensive weapon.
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Kelce isn’t the only star player that the Chiefs will be without. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones will also miss the contest as he continues to hold out in hopes of securing a new contract.
The Chiefs haven’t lost a Week 1 game since the 2014 season, when they were upset by the Tennessee Titans. Without Kelce and Jones, that streak is in real danger of ending against a Lions team that is the consensus favorite to win the NFC North.
