Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will sit out today’s meaningless regular-season finale, but tight end Travis Kelce is expected to play. At least briefly.
Kelce has 984 receiving yards this season, putting him just 16 short of his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season, and the Chiefs are expected to play Kelce long enough to get those 16 yards today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid would say only “we’ll see” when asked this week about Kelce’s status for Sunday.
It sounds like the 1,000-yard mark is important enough to Kelce that Reid will give him the chance to earn it. Reid may tell Chiefs starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert to throw Kelce as many passes as it takes to get him to 16 yards for the day, and then take him out of the game.
There are risks, of course, with putting an important player on the field in a meaningless game. But if keeping his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons alive is important to Kelce, then Reid is willing to take the risk.