The hits just keep coming for the Kansas City Chiefs - and not the kind that light up Arrowhead on Sunday afternoons.
With Patrick Mahomes already sidelined for the season after tearing both his ACL and LCL in last week’s loss to the Chargers - a gut-punch that officially knocked the Chiefs out of playoff contention - Kansas City’s injury list just got even longer. Linebacker Leo Chenal (shoulder) and right tackle Jawaan Taylor (elbow) have both been placed on season-ending injured reserve, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That’s two more starters gone for a team already trying to navigate an unrecognizable version of itself.
The Chiefs now sit at 6-8, a far cry from the powerhouse that’s dominated the AFC for the past three seasons. With three games left - against the Titans, Broncos and Raiders - Kansas City is staring down the possibility of a top-11 draft pick.
That would be their highest selection since Andy Reid and company traded up in 2017 to grab a kid named Mahomes. And if the losses keep piling up, they could climb even higher up the draft board - a silver lining in what’s become a season full of storm clouds.
The IR list in Kansas City is starting to look more like a roster in itself. Chenal and Taylor join Mahomes, Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder), Jake Briningstool (hamstring), Wanya Morris (knee), Chris Roland-Wallace (back), Josh Simmons (wrist), Omar Norman-Lott (knee), Brandon George (undisclosed), Felix Anudike-Uzomah (hamstring), Deon Bush (Achilles), Janarius Robinson (foot), Eric Scott Jr. (undisclosed), and Keaontay Ingram (undisclosed). That’s a staggering number of players unavailable - and a big reason why the Chiefs have struggled to find consistency on either side of the ball.
The team also waived running back Elijah Mitchell, who made just one appearance this season - in the 22-19 loss to Denver last month.
Yet, in the middle of all this adversity, Travis Kelce is still suiting up. At 36 years old, with 10 Pro Bowls under his belt and a Hall of Fame resume already written in permanent ink, Kelce could easily justify taking the final three weeks off. But that’s not how he’s wired.
“I signed up to be a Chief, and I love doing what I do,” Kelce said Friday. “I know I’ve been dreaming of being in these moments and playing for an NFL team since I was a kid.
Getting back to that will give you more motivation than you could ever need. That’s just how you need to go about work, whether you’re in the [playoff] race or not.
I’m going to make sure these guys know I’m out there giving them everything I got.”
That’s leadership. That’s legacy.
Kelce acknowledged the strange feeling of knowing exactly when the season will end - something he hasn’t experienced in a long time. But even with the playoffs off the table, he’s not mailing in these final games.
And that’s not just talk. He still leads the team in targets (92), receptions (67), yards (797), and touchdowns (5).
The production is still there. The fire is still there.
Whether this is Kelce’s last ride remains to be seen. But if it is, he’s making sure it ends on his terms - with effort, pride, and a whole lot of heart. And for a Chiefs team that’s seen nearly everything go wrong this season, that kind of example still matters.