Travis Kelce didn’t hide how much Tyquan Thornton’s injury hit him, even with the encouraging update on the Chiefs receiver’s ankle.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Thornton is expected to return in 12 to 16 weeks after dislocating his left ankle in Sunday’s game in Las Vegas. That timeline leaves the door open for a late-season comeback, and Kansas City still has two regular-season games in January before the possibility of a playoff run after its 4-0 start.
Thornton has been one of the Chiefs’ most productive downfield threats early on. His 219 receiving yards rank second on the team behind only Kelce, and his 19.9 yards per catch leads Kansas City. Then came the play that changed everything: a 55-yard catch in the Chiefs’ 30-27 win over the Raiders, followed by the injury that forced him out.
On the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce called the news heartbreaking and made clear Thornton is a major presence in the locker room.
“Everybody ... loves Tyquan. The guy just shows up every single day, with his construction hat on, ready to go to ... work and ready to put in the time and the effort that’s needed to have the success that he’s having,” Kelce said.
“We’re 4-0. He’s playing unbelievable.
He’s got Pat Mahomes’ trust. He’s got the coaches’ trust, and then to have something like this happen on such a big play in the game, it sucks, man.
It sucks, and obviously positive news with the ankle (recovery timeline) and in hopes that if we are in the playoffs, and he’s healthy enough he can get back out there.
"But at the same time man you just hate to see it happen to such a good guy, man. We’ve got a lot of ... good teammates and you guys are gonna hear me say how much I love these guys, but Tyquan is definitely at the top of the list, man. Everybody loves that dude.”
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