KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went down with the dreaded non-contact injury Sunday late in the second quarter in a Week 5 game at the Minnesota Vikings.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, he returned for the second drive of the third quarter and seemed to be his old self.
Kelce had five catches for 45 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown and a key third-down conversion that helped erase a 15-yard penalty he'd been flagged for earlier in the drive.
"He finds a new way to surprise me every week," wide receiver Justin Watson said. "That looked like a gnarly injury, and I was surprised he even made it off the sideline. Then, for him to come back and have the second half he did, that guy is tough as nails. I love playing with Trav; he fired us all back up coming in here."
Kelce, who missed all but one play his rookie season with a knee injury, hadn’t missed another game due to injury until the season opener a month ago.
He missed the 2023 opener against Detroit after suffering a hyperextended knee and bone bruise a few days before the Sept. 7 showdown.
Kelce, who turned 34 on Thursday, caught a short pass in the right flats and was turning upfield when he collapsed.
Replays appeared to show his right foot or ankle buckle a bit on the U.S. Bank Stadium artificial turf.
Kelce jogged off on his own power with a slight limp before spiking his helmet with two hands on the sideline.
The Chiefs' head athletic trainer and other medical staff were shown consulting with Kelce on the bench. He grimaced as he tried to walk off the injury before being escorted to the locker room moments before Harrison Butker’s game-tying field goal in the closing seconds of the first half.
CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported Kelce was taken into the locker room for X-rays on his right foot.
The Chiefs did not immediately provide an update on Kelce’s injury status for the game, but he was shown jogging back onto the field to start the second half.
Per Wolfson, X-rays were negative and Kelce would play in the second half, but his right foot was heavily taped and he didn't enter for any of the third quarter's first three snaps.
He returned for the second drive and dominated, scoring the game-winning touchdown.
Kelce finished with 10 catches for 67 yards, both game-highs.
“I’m glad that he was able to come back on the field and join us, but he did what Travis does,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said.
Kelce, an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, had a team-high five receptions for 22 yards before the injury.
He leads the Chiefs with 32 targets and 22 catches this season and is tied for the team lead with two touchdowns.
Kelce’s 177 yards rank second behind wide receiver Justin Watson (186).
There is a growing movement among NFL players to ban artificial playing surfaces, which they claim produce more injuries. The NFL claims artificial turf is as safe as grass as a playing surface.
#SwiftiesHateTurf let’s get it trending everyone
— lauren wolfe (@lwolfe2) October 8, 2023
In recent weeks, Kelce has found himself in the national and international spotlight amid a budding romance with pop icon Taylor Swift.
Swift had attended the Chiefs’ last two games, a Week 3 win against Chicago at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and a Week 4 win last Sunday at the New York Jets.
Swift is not at the game in Minneapolis.
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